My one day off this week went by too fast! I spent most of the day in the kitchen – cooking and cleaning (we just had our cabinets redone and you should have seen the living room full of the kitchen stuff!!). The weather has been getting colder, so I have been craving warm meals the past few days. I started eating oatmeal in the morning for breakfast, and made a delicious enchilada soup yesterday. Today I made this asparagus risotto with fresh asparagus I picked up this morning. I learned the hard way that asparagus tastes best when cooked the same day that you buy it, so now I always use it the same day. Risotto is such a fulfilling dish, and you can be playful with it. Add your favorite vegetables to give it some flavor and color. In addition to the asparagus, I added some onion, garlic and Parmesan cheese. This makes a great side dish or main course.
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 bunch of asparagus, chopped
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2½ cups chicken broth
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tbsp basil
- ¼ cup cream
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large pot.
- Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add the arborio rice, nutmeg, and basil. Stir well.
- Add ½ cup chicken broth and stir until all absorbed.
- Add the asparagus (I like to discard the bottom inch since it is very tough).
- Continue to add the chicken broth, ½ cup at a time until all is absorbed.
- Add the cream and Parmesan cheese and stir well before serving.