Roasted Asparagus Risotto

Asparagus, round 2.  I'm going to give it another shot.  I love risotto, so let's see how this goes.

Ingredients

Roasted Asparagus
20 fresh asparagus spears, ends trimmed.
2 tbs olive oil
Pinch of salt
Fresh grated Parmesan

Risotto
3 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced (I used black garlic)
1 c arborio rice
1/2 c dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan

To roast the asparagus, place the stalks, 2 tbs of olive oil, and a pinch of sale on a baking sheet.  Roll the spears through the oil and salt to coat.  Bake in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes.  Set aside.

For the risotto, heat chicken broth in a saucepan over medium heat; reduce heat to simmer throughout cooking.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Stir in minced garlic and salt.  Add arborio rice and stir until lightly toasted (about 5 minutes).

Pour white wine into rice, stirring constantly, until the liquid is evaporated, about another 5 minutes or so.  Stir chicken broth in, one ladleful at a time, allowing liquid to absorb completely before adding more while stirring constantly, about 20 minutes.  Turn off heat, and grate parmesan onto hot rice.  Top with roasted asparagus spears.

Hmm...this was ok.  The risotto was good, but the asparagus was just ok.  I still don't love it, but it was better than the last one.  I think it was better because the asparagus spears were thinner, so there was less to taste.  The kids loved it, so it will stay in the rotation, at least occasionally.  One more way to get my veggies!

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Asparagus Gratin

 

Tonight I am cooking asparagus gratin. I don't think I like asparagus, but anything covered in cheese and bacon crumbles can't be all bad, right? Plus, it's a recipe from America's Test Kitchen, so it's probably good.

Ingredients

2 lbs thin asparagus

3c water

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbls unsalted butter

2 tbls flour

3/4 c parmesan cheese, grated and divided

1/2 c Monterey jack cheese, shredded (I used cheddar jack)

1/2 lb bacon, cut into pieces and fried

Directions

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and pre-heat broiler. Line broiler safe baking dish with paper towels or a lint free kitchen cloth. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and set both stalks and ends aside.

 

Bring water to a boil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus ends and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook covered, for 5 minutes.

Pour asparagus water into liquid measuring cup. If liquid does not read 1-cup mark, add water until it does. Mine was the perfect amount.

Melt butter in now empty skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in reserved asparagus water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in ½ cup Parmesan and Monterey jack until smooth. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Remove paper towels from baking dish, blotting any excess water remaining. Drizzle sauce over center of asparagus and top with remaining Parmesan. Top with bacon pieces. Broil until cheese is golden and asparagus is tender, 4-8 minutes.

 

Serves 6-8.

Well...I was right. I'm not a fan of asparagus. But the sauce was wonderful. I will try to find other vegetables to use with this amazing cheese and bacon sauce. We paired the asparagus with sirloins on the grill and the sirloins turned out perfect. Anyone who likes asparagus and cheese should love this dish.

 

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