on the rocks

After settling back into the university residence, I felt that I should take up the challenge of making some of my own risotto.  Apparently it’s quite hard to get right so I just wanted to see just how hard.

Here’s the modified recipe that I used, based on a Lemon Asparagus recipe I found.  I find that this fills 2 people.

Asparagus and Mushroom

• 7 stalks of asparagus
• 1 portobello mushroom
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves

Risotto

• vegetable stock (or chicken stock if you’re not a vegetarian)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring stock to a simmer and set aside
2. heat oil and butter in a pan
3. sauté garlic until almost golden and add asparagus
4. once the asparagus is almost ready, add the mushrooms
5. once the mushrooms have cooked, set aside
6. for the risotto, heat 2 tbsps butter in another pan on medium
7. add the arborio rice and stir until translucent
8. add the wine and reduce until almost dry, continuously stirring
9. add half a cup of stock and reduce until almost dry, continuously stirring
10. repeat step 9 until rice is tender and creamy, this takes about 20 minutes
11. stir in the asparagus, mushroom, remaining butter and half the cheese
12. scoop in bowls and sprinkle remaining cheese on top
    

Asparagus & Portobello Mushroom Risotto

Since I was the one cooking it, it was pretty easy to match the consistency of how I liked the rice.  Using vegetable stock instead of the usual chicken stock may have reduced some of the flavour, so perhaps a little salt or more butter could have been added to enhance the taste.  I sautéed the asparagus and mushrooms before I even started cooking the risotto, which was an obvious mistake that left the asparagus slightly dry.  Overall though, I think this was a pretty successful first attempt at making risotto.  There are creamier recipes that require table cream and more cheese that I’ll probably try next.  Also, I understand the effort that is spent looking over the pot and constantly stirring for almost half an hour, really gives a lot to think about the value of the dish the next time I order it somewhere.

And I have  few restaurant reviews I still have yet to write about which I’ll get to soon =).