asparagus risotto

I find risotto really hard to pass up. I mean, if it's on a menu, I endure an inner dialogue something along the lines of this,

"Mmmm, risotto."
Yes, but there's also picatta. And lasagna. Ooooh! And manicotti!
"Yes, but risotto is so creamy..."
You think a tube of pasta stuffed full of ricotta cheese isn't creamy? Plus, you can make it at home! You're probably never going to make manicotti. Let's face it, if you tried, you'd just end up eating all the ricotta before you could stuff it into the pasta tubes. We both know that.

Whereupon I forgo my beloved risotto. But on the way home from the restaurant, I buy some arborio rice and plot the next night's dinner.

Ingredients

The amounts in this recipe are for 1 serving. There's instructions in the recipe to increase for more servings.

1/4 an onion, chopped
1/4 c. arborio rice (or other short grain, Italian, risotto-type)
1 c. chicken stock
1/4 bunch asparagus, ends removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbs. olive oil
1/4 c. grated or shredded cheese (I like peccorino romano, but any parmesan or romano works)
salt and pepper to taste

Be prepared: once you add the rice to the saucepan, you will be stirring constantly. So put on comfortable shoes, throw some music on the ipod and get ready to work that bicep...or whatever the stirring muscle is.

First, put your chicken broth over medium-low heat in a small saucepan. You should have about at least three times as much broth as you have rice. You want the broth to be hot (but not simmering or boiling), so that when it's added to the rice, it doesn't cool it down (and thereby increase the cooking time).

Over medium-high heat, saute the onion in olive oil, using a larger saucepan. Cook until the onion is soft. You may also add minced garlic to the onion, but I tend to leave garlic out of my risotto dishes. Increase the onion by 1/4 for each additional 1/4 cup of dry rice.

Risotto rice will generally increase in size by about 4 times. So when I cook it just for myself, I make around 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup, dry. This yields about a cup (maybe a little more) which is more than adequate for one person. So, using that, add enough dry rice to feed however many people you like (1 cup dry = 4 cups cooked = feed 4-6 people, depending on appetites).

Now, and this is important, add your dry rice in with the onion and cook it without any liquid for a few minutes. Stir constantly! You want the rice to look a little beat up - it will get opaque white edges. I'd estimate this takes between 3 - 5 minutes. This process will help the starches work properly in the cooking process - yielding that creaminess we're looking for.

Once you've got opaque rice, add about a cup of the hot broth (use a ladle). Again, stir constantly. In total, you'll want to cook the rice for about 18 minutes.

Stir until the rice absorbs the broth. You don't want it looking dry - but no obvious liquid either. Once you get to that point, add another half cup of broth.

Keep repeating this (add 1/2 cup broth, stir until absorbed) until you reach the 12 minute mark. At this point, toss in the cut-up asparagus. It will cook in the broth with the rice. (I like a lot of vegetables in my rice, so when you're increasing the recipe, bear that in mind - just put in what looks right to you).

Continue adding broth and stirring until absorbed until the rice has been cooking a total of 18 minutes. At that point you should have plump and creamy risotto. If you don't, then keep adding more broth and letting it get absorbed until the texture is right.

Add cheese. Lots of it. I put 1/4 cup of cheese in when I make 1/4 cup of dry rice. Trust me, it's essential.

Once you've mastered the basic risotto recipe, you can add any ingredients you like. My favorite additions (besides asparagus) are mushrooms, spinach, tomato, or cooked chicken.