Creamy asparagus risotto with toasted almonds and lemon zest.
Made in a pot and also with the Thermomix.
Celebrate seasonal freshness with this elegant risotto: the pairing of tender asparagus, crunchy toasted almonds and the liveliness of lemon creates a springtime harmony of flavors perfect to surprise your guests.
This risotto embodies the essence of spring, combining the delicacy of fresh asparagus with an elegant touch from toasted almonds and the bright scent of lemon.
It’s a refined dish, perfect for celebrating seasonal flavors with a surprising balance of textures and aromas.
Thought for you:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 1 Minute
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter, Spring, Easter
- Energy 545.42 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 70.68 (g) of which sugars 3.56 (g)
- Proteins 13.67 (g)
- Fat 22.78 (g) of which saturated 6.70 (g)of which unsaturated 7.94 (g)
- Fibers 4.41 (g)
- Sodium 682.86 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 400 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s go shopping
- 1/4 cup onion (chopped)
- 12 oz asparagus (fresh or frozen (about 3/4 lb); cut: tips left whole, stems chopped)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 2/3 cups Carnaroli rice ((cooking time 18 min))
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups vegetable broth (or prepared with a stock cube)
- to taste salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano PDO
- 1/4 cup almond crumbs (toasted)
- 1 lemon zest (or lime, very thin)
- to taste pepper
Creamy asparagus risotto with toasted almonds and lemon zest
Tools
We need
- 2 Pots
- 1 Knife
Steps
Let’s go to the kitchen
Preliminaries
Clean the asparagus by removing the woody base, and cut them: leave the tips whole and cut the rest into pieces.
In a pot, heat the water with the vegetable stock cube; you can also add the tough ends of the asparagus to give more flavor and then strain the broth.
In another pot, heat the olive oil and the chopped onion and sauté to soften for about 3 minutes,
Add the asparagus and 1 cup of broth, and cook for 10 minutes until the broth is absorbed.
Add the rice and toast it, stirring, until the grains become translucent.
At this point pour in the wine and let it evaporate.
Then add the remaining broth little by little as the rice requires.
Cooking time will be the one indicated on the rice package.
Meanwhile roughly chop the almonds, transfer them to a small skillet and toast them.
At the end of the risotto’s cooking, with the heat off, add the butter and the Parmigiano and stir vigorously to emulsify.
Then let the risotto rest in the pot for 1 minute.
Check for salt and, if you like, correct with pepper.
Serve the risotto sprinkled with toasted almond crumbs and very thin lemon zest.
Here is the Creamy asparagus risotto with toasted almonds and lemon zest ready to enjoy. Place the onion, asparagus and extra virgin olive oil into the Thermomix bowl, position the basket and set 3 minutes at 230°F (reverse) speed “spoon”.
Add the rice and toast without the measuring cup: 3 min. / 248°F / reverse / speed 1.
Pour in the wine and evaporate: 1 min. / 230°F / reverse / speed 1 without the measuring cup. Add the water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the vegetable stock cube, mix thoroughly with the spatula to move the rice and cook with the basket in place instead of the measuring cup: 13 min. / 212°F / reverse / speed 1.
Open the lid, add the butter and the Parmigiano and cream with the spatula, then let the risotto rest inside the bowl for 1 minute.
Roughly chop the almonds: 7 sec speed 8, transfer them to a small skillet and toast.
Transfer the risotto to a risotto serving dish or portion onto plates.
Serve the risotto with a sprinkle of toasted almond crumbs and very thin lemon zest.
Storage
Creamy asparagus risotto with toasted almonds and lemon zest
This is a dish that should be eaten immediately, but if leftovers remain you can store it in the refrigerator for 2 days and then reheat it in the microwave.
Chef’s tip
To enrich the dish at the final creaming stage you could add diced raw shrimp. They will cook in about 3 minutes.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Creamy asparagus risotto with toasted almonds and lemon zest
What can I substitute for asparagus?
Diced zucchini
Creamy asparagus risotto with toasted almonds and lemon zest
