I was hoping to use a fair amount of asparagus from my garden in this dish but it’s growing so fast it was already too tall. I did use a few garden spears for garnish but the rest is store-bought. It was still delicious and wonderfully springish. I did a terrible job on the poached eggs but they tasted lovely anyway.
Asparagus risotto
1 1/2 bunches of asparagus, cooked just until tender, a few spears reserved for garnish and the rest blended to a puree
2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chick stock, at a simmer, plus water as needed
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
gently poached eggs
Sweat the onion in butter and olive oil over medium-low heat, in a large pan, until soft and translucent. You do not want it to color. Add the minced garlic during the last 60 seconds of cooking, being sure to stir frequently. Add the rice and continue to cook 3 or 4 minutes, with stirring. Pour in the wine all at once and gently stir until all the liquid is absorbed. Now add the hot chicken stock a ladleful at a time, allowing each to be absorbed before adding the next. Continue to stir gently during this process. Add additional water as needed to attain the degree of doneness you want in your rice. Remove the risotto from the heat and fold in 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan and the asparagus puree. Top each serving with a reserved asparagus spear and a poached egg.