Spring Asparagus & Pea Risotto with Freshly Ground Black Pepper
This wholesome, warming recipe by Once Upon a Chef is deliciously thick and creamy – perfect for a light midday energy boost, or a big, cozy dinner. That chicken stock will run through the whole dish and coat everything in salted, savoury goodness. Top off with a dusting of parmigiano-reggiano and a twist of black pepper for a match made in heaven.
If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to making your own broth, you can always use standard stock cubes, or try your hand at this chicken stock recipe by Simply Recipes. Learning to make your own stock is so rewarding because it turns what once was kitchen scraps into a key ingredient for future meal. You could also make a simple switch to vegetable broth to turn this into an excellent veggie dish, too.
Thanks to that lovely Arborio Rice, this dish becomes irresistibly creamy, as every good risotto should be – that’s why it’s such a key ingredient! But did you know there are other kinds of rice that are great for risottos? If you’re having trouble finding Arborio, rice like Carnaroli and Vialone Nano are fantastic substitutes.
A little tip before you start – make sure to line the Asparagus up and cut the tough ends off with a knife. Snapping the ends can waste perfectly good greens! Speaking of wasting greens, if this recipe caught your eye because you have frozen peas to use up, why not have a look at these recipes that all start off with an excess of peas?
Either way, you must be hungry by now. Let’s crack on to that recipe below!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus, lightly peeled & cut roughly in half
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Glug of dry white wine
- Large knob of butter
- 250g Arborio rice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 30g Parmigiano
- Salt to taste
- Frozen peas
Instructions
- Boil a kettle or bring a pan of water to the boil and add in the stock cube in a jug.
- Cook your vegetables in a separate pan until the asparagus is tender-crisp usually around 2-4 minutes. Remove the veg from the heat, drain and store on a plate to add in at the end.
- In the same pot over medium-low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onions and gently cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Add the rice and cook, stirring to ensure the surface is coated with butter, cook until glossy and translucent. Add a large glug of wine and cook for about a minute.
- Pour in a quarter of your broth into the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until absorbed. Continue adding the broth and stirring frequently until until the rice is cooked, usually about 25 minutes. Keep a close eye whilst this is cooking to prevent it sticking to the pan.
- Stir in the vegetables, add in grated Parmigiano if you wish and the remaining butter. Taste and adjust seasoning with freshly ground salt and pepper. You may also like to serve with grated Parmigiano at the table.
Tips
Original recipe and photography credit belongs to Once Upon a Chef