Easy & Cheap Risotto Recipe

Like you, I am done with recipes that come after the author has told you their life story, so I'm going to skip the yadda yadda and get right to the yum because I respect you and your time, alright? Let's go.

Easy & Cheap Risotto Recipe

Asparagus Risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

• 1 large shallot, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter

• 4 to 5 cups chicken stock, kept warm

• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (or any veg you like, such as spinach, bok choi, kale, mushrooms or anything else you have sitting around)

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (buy the block; yes they feel expensive, but they last forever, eons longer than pre-shredded parm and ½ a cup of parm grated from a block comes out to about .35 cents. And it tastes and melts better because it's not coated in starch to keep it from sticking together.)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Additional Parmesan for serving

Instructions:

1. Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan and keep it warm over low heat.

2. Chop the shallot finely.

3. Trim the asparagus and cut it into 1-inch pieces. Briefly blanch in some boiling water until the colour turns bright green. Remove them from the hot water and plunge them in cold water to shock them and stop the cooking. From there, separate the spear tips and set them aside. With the rest of the asparagus, lightly blitz it with a couple of tablespoons of our warm stock in a food processor.

4. Zest and juice the lemon.

5. Sauté the shallot. In a large pan, heat the olive oil or butter over medium heat. Add the chopped shallot and sauté until translucent and soft, about 2-3 minutes, making sure it doesn't brown.

6. Cook the rice. Add the Arborio rice to the pan, stirring to coat the grains with the oil or butter. Toast the rice until the edges become slightly translucent, about 2 minutes.

7. Add the Chicken Stock. Begin adding the warm chicken stock, one ladle at a time, stirring frequently. Wait until most of the liquid is absorbed before adding the next ladle. Continue this process until the rice is creamy and cooked to al dente, about 18-20 minutes. You may not need all the stock.

8. Add the Asparagus. When the rice is about halfway done, add the blended asparagus and stir in until your risotto has a gentle green color.

9. Finish with lemon, spear tips, and Parmesan. Once the risotto is creamy and the rice is al dente, stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, asparagus spear tips and grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

10. Serve the risotto hot, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and a touch of lemon zest if desired. Enjoy your delicious and affordable risotto!

How do you make your risotto? Tell me in the comments!