Charred Asparagus Risotto
A creamy, rich risotto ready in just 30 minutes. A dinner that you need to give very little thought to but delivers on max flavour and kitchen satisfaction. Filling, hearty and minimal washing up!
Method
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
Dice the onion, chop the garlic and trim the asparagus. You will also need to make up your vegetable stock in a medium size saucepan and bring it to a simmer.
Step 2
Place a large saute pan on a medium heat and add half of the olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onion along with a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the arborio rice and coat the rice in the oil, garlic and onion.
Step 3
Ladle by ladle, add the hot vegetable stock to the rice, stirring every 30 seconds or so. We do this to ensure that the end result is a really creamy risotto. By stirring continuously, we are bashing the rice grains together, encouraging them to release starch, resulting in a smooth, velvety finish. The rice should take about 17 minutes to be cooked to al dente (just cooked with a bite).
Step 4
While the rice is cooking, place a large frying pan or griddle pan on a high heat. Coat the trimmed asparagus in the remaining olive oil, a little salt and black pepper. Once the pan is hot, lay in the asparagus and cook until they soften and have charred slightly. This will take about 6-7 minutes.
Step 5
Once the risotto rice and creamy, season with pepper and a little more salt if needed. Add in the grated hard vegetarian cheese, the lemon zest and half the juice. Squeeze the remaining half the lemon over the cooked asparagus and serve the rice, topped with the charred asparagus and a few basil leaves.
- Ingredients
- Based on 4 servings
-
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1x Sainsbury's Olive Oil, Extra Virgin 500ml -
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and chopped 1x Sainsbury's Garlic -
300g Arborio Rice 1x Sainsbury's Arborio Risotto Rice 500g -
1 Lemon, juice and zest 1x Sainsbury's Lemons -
500g asparagus, woody stalk trimmed 2x Sainsbury's Asparagus Spears 250g -
75g Vegetarian Hard Cheese, grated 1x Stamford Street Co. Italian Hard Cheese 200g -
15g Basil, leaves picked 1x Sainsbury's Fresh Packed Basil 30g -
1 White Onions, peeled and chopped 1x Sainsbury's Onions Loose -
800ml Vegetable Stock 1x Sainsbury's Stock Cubes, Vegetable 10x10g -
Maldon Salt, to taste 1x Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 250g