Mel's Risotto - spring edition with asparagus, Vermont sharp cheddar & lemon zest
Plus Mel's Staples: Must-haves, essentials & more in your pantry & fridge Part 5
Slowly but surely nature is waking up here in Vermont. The first blossoms, buds and leaves are popping up and sneaking through dead leaves on the ground and making their way through the soil for a sun gaze.
With this time of the year my cooking & baking gets some inspiration from this new season and nature starting to provide from its abundance.
Being back in Vermont I’m always grateful to being so close to fresh produce, be it from people’s planting efforts on their farms & homesteads or wild foraging.
There’s loads to forage in Vermont, especially in the spring. I’ll dedicate a whole blog post to wild foraging in Vermont in May, so watch out for this.
For this one, though, I’m sticking to produce that is a seasonal fresh ingredient in many countries in the Northern hemisphere, asparagus.
Growing up in Germany, we’d often have the white version with Sauce Hollandaise in the spring, a delicacy in many restaurants at that time of the year.
I’ve never really been a huge fan of the white asparagus, so was happy, when someone introduced the green version to my diet.
I love to just stir-fry the young shoots, add some freshly ground salt & pepper and some olive oil. For a nice tangy twist add some lemon infused olive oil, if you can get your hands on that.
For this blog post I gave my all-time favorite Risotto - loved and requested by many people already - a spring update.
Using green asparagus, some lemon zest for this fresh touch. And, since being in Vermont, sharp Vermont cheddar.
But before we dive into the recipe, I owe you another round of staples, right?
So, here you go!
Must-haves for your pantry & fridge
Arborio or risotto rice
This week we’re going a little short on our Must-haves, but I’ll be introducing some Nice-to-haves for the first time since starting this series.
If you’re new to this Blog, check out this introductory post about what’s that all about with those staples.
Arborio rice
You also find arborio rice as risotto rice in the stores. Both can be used for making Italian style Risotto.
Although I’m not a big fan of rice, I always have arborio rice in my pantry, because I just love making and eating Risotto. Hence it’s on my Must Have list.
I’ve never actually used this type of rice for anything else but Risotto, and have never used any other type of rice for making it, too.
So, I’m not able to tell you much about what other ways of using arborio rice or different types of rice for cooking Risotto there are.
All I know is, that using arborio rice, combined with the butter and cheese, turns it into this creamy rice dome on your plate that you just can’y wait to indulge into.
Essentials for your pantry & fridge
Lemon
Veggie broth
Fresh produce, fruits, veggies, etc. aren’t actually part of my staples, since they don’t have a long shelf life, go bad, wilt, etc.
But, where there’s a rule, there’s also exceptions, right?
Lemon
Same as with ginger or alliums such as garlic and onions, lemons are part of my staples, too. If only as essentials.
I don’t always have them in my pantry, but if I know I’ll be baking with lemon juice or lemon zest. Or I need the juice or zest/peel for a savory dish, that’s when I buy lemons, preferably organic, of course, because of the zest or peel that I’ll be using.
So lemon would be an essential, especially for baking, or if you want a nice lemony, but not too tart touch in your savory dish, such as the risotto I’ll be sharing with you below.
Veggie Broth
This is an essential for me. It may be even a Must-Have for you. Although I’m not always cooking with veggie broth, it’s part of soups, Risotto, Chili, etc.
If you happen to have a lot of veggies in your garden, you can totally make your own veggie broth, even the cube style version or a thick paste that you dilute with hot water. There’s many recipes out there for that.
The reason I like to add it to my dishes is that not all the veggies that we’re able to get nowadays, even if they are organic, have the full and abundant flavor as they used to have.
Adding veggie broth adds this rich umami flavor bomb that some dishes just need. At least in my opinion they do.
I’m not a fan of Worcestershire sauce or Maggi (the German version), though. They tend to have too many additives and artificial flavors or even glutamate.
Introducing Nice-to-haves for your pantry & fridge
Cheese
Wine (red or white)
While alcohol of course is always optional for baking & cooking, and for drinking. I do like the flavor it gives to my savory dishes. I never use it in my baking, though.
I’m not a fan of Tiramisu, Schwarzwälder-Kirsch-Torte (Black Forest Cake), or any other sweet treat, dessert or cake that uses alcohol as an ingredient. I just don’t like the taste of it.
In savory dishes it only provides a certain flavor, not the alcohol itself, since the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process.
But cheese is not optional, at least for me it is.
Cheese
I live and cook rather on the vegan side of things. But for dishes such as Risotto, Lasagne & Pasta, I buy and use cheese, mostly Parmesan.
I also love sharp or old/aged cheeses or smoked cheese.
In February I did some experimenting with my Dad, where we made smoked cheese in a Weber grill, which was a lot of fun and super tasty.
I’m thinking of doing a blog post on that in the future. Let’s see!
Plus, being in Vermont, you just can’t (and shouldn’t) avoid the cheese. Especially the sharp and aged ones. Hence I’m using some for my Risotto recipe here.
White or red wine
I’m a social drinker and enjoy a nice glass of wine with my meals, especially if it’s a nice pairing to the dish that I’m enjoying at that moment.
The simplest pairing for me would be, a white wine, e.g. a Riesling or Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio to a Risotto dish. Or a red wine, Merlot for example, paired with a Lasagne or even the Chili sin Carne.
As mentioned before, I like to add wine to certain dishes, such as Risotto or the Chili sin Carne, Lasagne, even to my vegan Bolognese recipe.
I can’t unfortunately tell you about any other options, such as swapping the wine with a non-alcoholic version or simply leave it out. I just never made Risotto without it.
Mel’s Risotto with asparagus, Vermont sharp Cheddar & lemon zest
Risotto is a dish that works in every season, if you add seasonal fresh veggies. I’ve made it with turnip, parsnip, beet and asparagus.
Everything is a first time for me as well, so adding the Vermont sharp cheese to my Risotto recipe instead of the usual Parmesan works a little different texture-wise.
I’ve also shot professional photos of my Risotto for the first time. So bare with me, I promise the Risotto is as creamy as I tell you it is. You gotta make it, though. ;-)
This is what you need for 4 servings
4 - 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 shallots or 1 medium onion, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cups risotto rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bundle of green asparagus, 1 lb (approx. 450 grams), chopped into bite sized pieces leaving the tips for stir frying with some olive oil, salt & pepper for garnish.
6 tbsp or more Vermont sharp Cheddar grated, a little more for serving. Any sharp/aged cheese works here really.
3-4 tbsp butter
pepper & salt to taste
Zest of 1/2 lemon (organic)
How to make the Risotto
Prepare the vegetable stock and set aside.
Peel the shallots or onions and chop them into small cubes. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the shallots/onions.
When they become translucent, add the rice and sauté for 1-2 minutes as well. Pour in the wine and simmer until it is almost cooked off/reduced.
Now sauté the asparagus cut into bite-sized pieces as well for a shorter or longer time depending on their consistency.
Then start filling up the risotto with a ladle of vegetable broth and let it boil down/reduce. Repeat until all the broth has boiled down and the rice grains inside are al dente.
Meanwhile fry your asparagus tips in some olive oil, freshly ground salt & pepper.
When the last ladle of broth is in the risotto, stir in the grated cheese and butter so that the rice becomes creamy and shiny.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, if any salt. The broth and cheese often have enough seasoning already.
Serve in bowls or on plates. Top with the asparagus tips and some grated lemon zest and more cheese. Enjoy!
