RISOTTO AGLI
ASPARAGI BIANCHI

WHITE ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

May is the time for making the most of the white asparagus. In Veneto, the varieties from Bassano del Grappa, Badoere and Cimadolmo, near Treviso, are highly regarded. On the market stalls in the springtime you also find small wild shoots: bruscandoli (wild hop shoots) or carletti (Silene vulgaris, or bladder campion), which are very good in a risotto.

SERVES 6 PREPARATION TIME: 30 MINUTES COOKING TIME: 35 MINUTES

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) white asparagus spears

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

450 g (1 lb) rice (preferably Vialone Nano)

80 ml (2¹/₂ fl oz/¹/₃ cup) dry white wine

1.5 litres (52 fl oz/6 cups) hot vegetable or meat stock

Freshly ground black pepper

30 g (1 oz) butter

60 g (2¹/₄ oz) parmesan cheese, grated

Wash the asparagus and peel the spears, removing the bottom 3 cm (1¹/₄ inches) of the spears (the toughest part) but keep to add to the stock. Cut off the tips and then cut the spears into sections about 1.5 cm (⁵/₈ inch) long.

To make the risotto: Gently sweat the onion in a saucepan in the oil for 5 minutes. Add the rice. Stir for 2–3 minutes, then add the wine, let it evaporate and season with salt. Add a ladleful of very hot stock. Add the pieces of asparagus spear, then more stock as it is absorbed by the rice. After 10 minutes, add the asparagus tips. The risotto should take 15–20 minutes to cook. Off the heat, add some pepper, butter and parmesan and stir vigorously. Let it stand for 2 minutes, covered, before serving all’onda, which is to say, very ‘wet’.