Green Asparagus Risotto

Ingredients

• 6 shallots
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 300 g Arborio rice
• 250 ml white wine
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• 3 bay leaves
• 800 ml vegetable broth
• 300 g green asparagus
• 1 untreated lemon
• 2 pinch nutmeg powder
• 40 g Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. 1.

   Peel the shallots and dice them into small cubes. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a pot and sauté the shallot cubes until translucent.

2. 2.

   Add the arborio rice and stir to toast it lightly. Deglaze with white wine, stirring occasionally until the rice has absorbed the wine. Season with salt, pepper, and bay leaves.

3. 3.

   Pour enough vegetable broth so that it sits about one fingerbreadth above the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 25 minutes, adding more broth as needed to keep the liquid level. The rice should be almost fully cooked but still have a slight bite.

4. 4.

   Meanwhile, rinse the asparagus, trim the lower third and cut off about 2 cm from the bottom. Blanch in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then shock in ice water. Drain and chop into ~3 cm pieces. Wash the lemon, zest it with a microplane, and dice the flesh.

5. 5.

   Heat the remaining olive oil in a pot and sauté the asparagus until tender. Season with salt and nutmeg. Add the lemon cubes and warm through. Stir the asparagus and lemon into the risotto, then serve in deep bowls. Garnish with lemon zest and crumble parmesan on top.