Asparagus and Lemon Risotto
A pot that asks for your attention for twenty minutes straight and pays it back in starch.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Written
Method
-
Bring the broth to a simmer in a saucepan, then keep it warm over low heat.
-
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat and cook the shallot until translucent, about 3 minutes.
-
Add the rice and stir until the edges turn glassy and it smells toasted, about 2 minutes.
-
Pour in the wine and stir until the pot goes quiet, meaning it’s fully absorbed.
-
Add the warm broth a ladleful at a time, stirring often and waiting for each addition to disappear before the next, until the rice is creamy and just tender, about 20 minutes.
-
Stir the asparagus in with the last ladleful of broth and cook until it’s bright green and still has some bite.
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Off the heat, stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmesan until the risotto turns glossy and loose.
-
Season with black pepper and serve immediately, with more Parmesan at the table.
Notes
The starch that makes this creamy only comes out if you add the broth gradually and keep the rice moving — dump it all in at once and you get rice soup instead. Stop adding liquid the moment a spoon dragged across the pot leaves a wake that slowly fills back in; that’s risotto, not soup and not paste.
Peas are the obvious swap when asparagus is out of season, added the same way in the last few minutes. This doesn’t sit well as leftovers — the rice keeps drinking liquid in the fridge — so cook it for the number of people actually eating.