Lemon and Asparagus Risotto Recipe

In celebration of Mother’s Day, my son James is making a guest appearance today to show us all how he makes one of my favorites, Lemon & Asparagus Risotto. This makes a great recipe for the vegetarian in your family as well, just replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock.

I hope everyone is doing a little something special for their Mom today :).

Directions:

Yield: 8-10 servings

1. Finely chop the celery and onion and mince the garlic. Over medium heat in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter. Add the vegetables and cook until tender.
2. Heat the chicken stock in a separate saucepan over medium heat. It is very important to heat the stock, because adding cold stock will shock the rice and cause the rice to be hard in the center.
3. Add the arborio rice to the vegetables. Stir to coat with olive oil and butter. It is very important at this stage to coat the rice and turn up the heat to medium-high. This will fry the outside of the rice which is what gives risotto its unique texture. Continue stirring and frying until the rice turns a light golden color.
4. Once the rice reaches that light golden color, add the chilled white wine. This helps to de-glaze the saucepan and shock the rice. Adding the white wine cold will cook off all of the harsh alcohol flavor, leaving the sweet flavor of your wine.
5. After all of the wine has been absorbed, start adding the chicken stock. Add the stock in three equal portions, letting all of the stock absorb each time before adding the next portion. Approximately 5-10 minutes per addition. On your last addition of stock, also add the lemon zest and lemon juice.
6. Cook the asparagus and set aside.
7. Once all of the stock has been absorbed, mix in the Parmesan cheese and asparagus and serve.

Enjoy your Mother’s Day… I know I will!