Spring Asparagus Risotto
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 bunches Fresh Local Asparagus
1 cup sour cream
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups Arborio rice (risotto rice)
½ cup diced onion
¼ cup dice celery
¼ cup dice fennel
½ cup lemon juice
2 quarts vegetable broth
5 slices proscutto julienne cut
1 cup cooked blanched peas
1 cup shaved manchego cheese or parmesan
1 bunch baby arugula
½ cup minced mint
½ cup minced chives
1 cup fresh toasted bread crumbs
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Asparagus
In a pot with boiling water, trim woody ends and blanch the asparagus until tender but still with a snap to it, make sure that you shock them in ice water to keep the bright green color and stop the cooking.
Cut in bios all the asparagus tips, about inch and a half from the top and keep aside, dice the rest of the stem and place in the blender with warm heavy cream and sour cream, puree until smooth, season to taste
Risotto
Start heating up about a ¼ cup of virgin oil in a medium size pot, add onion, celery and fennel and sweat until translucent, add rice and sweat as well until you can see thru the grain of rice, mixing constantly, add 1/8 cup of lemon juice and in the mean time, heat up your vegetable broth and start adding to the rice enough to get the risotto moist, and at medium low temperature, keep adding as the rice absorbs the liquid. Keep this process until the rice is tender, add the asparagus puree, asparagus tips, peas and herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Stir slowly folding the puree into the rice and making sure that the rice is reaching a creamy consistency, if not add a little more broth.
Plating
Pour about one cup per plate, and in a separate bowl mix, arugula, julienne (very thin strips) prosciutto, shaved manchego, one tablespoon of lemon juice, two tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, place the little salad on the center of the plate and on top of the risotto, sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs on top and ready to enjoy.
