For me, this is a very exciting time of year as I know we’re about to get an abundance of fresh produce in the kitchen. Once I see the daffodils start to bloom, I know we’ll soon be welcoming supplies of spring ingredients like wild garlic, Jersey Royal potatoes and asparagus.
There are so many different ways to cook asparagus and everyone has their own preference. One of my favourite ways to cook them is a little unconventional but it works a treat – roasted. Start the asparagus off in a pan with lots of butter, salt and pepper and then finish it off in the oven. Asparagus is also great on the barbeque… so long as the weather holds up! It adds a lovely fresh element to your grilling options for a barbeque and any leftovers are delicious in a salad the day after.
This recipe is my go-to spring dish as it’s the perfect mix of comforting warmth when the weather still has a chill in the air, but it makes the most of the asparagus season. Make sure to put all of your asparagus peelings and trimmings into the vegetable stock for maximum flavour. I like to use pecorino cheese instead of parmesan as it’s my unsung cheese hero! If you can get a truffle infused pecorino, it makes this recipe extra special. Using the raw asparagus adds a lovely crunch to the finished risotto and paired with the lightly blanched asparagus, it’s a match made in heaven.
This dish is now available on our new spring menu at The Birnam Brasserie. For more information about Gleneagles, visit https://www.gleneagles.com/.
Serves six
For the vegetable stock:
3l water
250g carrots, peeled and diced
250g white onion, peeled and diced
4 sticks celery, diced
250g leeks, diced
6 parsley stalks, diced
2 bay leaves
8 black peppercorns
3g salt
For the risotto:
100g butter
50ml olive oil
75g shallot, finely diced
40g garlic, crushed
100ml white wine
2l vegetable stock (as directed above)
1kg Arborio risotto rice
3g table salt
2g ground white pepper
To finish:
350ml vegetable stock (as directed above)
3 bunches of asparagus
100g pecorino cheese
1 punnet pea shoots
75g butter
3g salt
1g ground white pepper
Method:
1. First, make the vegetable stock. Place all of the ingredients into a large pot and bring up to a gentle simmer and cook for around 1 hour. Strain off the stock and reserve for later, splitting into 2 litres for cooking the risotto and 350ml to finish the risotto. The leftover stock can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.
2. Next, make the risotto. Sweat off the shallots and garlic with the butter and oil until soft but with no colour. Add the rice and cook out for 4 to 5 minutes until rice starts to go translucent then season and add the wine. Reduce the mixture until it’s just coating the rice. Start to add the hot vegetable stock one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Once you’ve added the first ladle of stock, start a timer and cook on a high heat for 10 minutes exactly, continually adding stock as it reduces. Spread onto a couple of flat trays and chill to cool rapidly. This can be done ahead of time and kept in the fridge to be finished on the next step of the recipe, or just continue cooking the rice to serve it straight away.
3. To finish the risotto, take 1 bunch of asparagus and thinly shave on the mandolin then place the shavings in iced water and set aside. Cut the tips off the rest of the asparagus and trim off the leaves and woody base. Cut the asparagus into 2cm slices on an angle. Blanch the asparagus slices and tips in boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes and refresh in iced water immediately.
4. Reheat the risotto base with the stock and season. Once hot, add the asparagus slices. Grate half the pecorino and shave the other half. Add the grated pecorino to the risotto along with the butter, take off the heat and gently stir to emulsify. Check the flavour again, adjust the seasoning if needed.
5. To serve, place the risotto into the serving bowls. Reheat the asparagus tips in boiling water and place around the top of the risotto. Finish with pecorino shavings, raw asparagus shavings and pea shoots.
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