I’ve been cooking a great deal lately to pass the seemingly endless amount of time trapped at home without being able to go out. In the past I grocery-shopped for entertainment as well as sustenance but these days it’s seldom and totally about necessity. Luckily the few trips I’ve made to a local farm market instead of a grocery store have yielded great produce and other ingredients to supplement my well-stocked freezer and pantry. Having limited choices also has provided the added benefit of focusing on seasonal ingredients which are what’s available right now at those markets. And those, this month, are asparagus, spring peas, rhubarb and strawberries. Yes, of course you also can cheat and pick up pints of cherry or grape tomatoes and other items, or rely on canned goods, thank goodness, but these have been the mainstay for me lately.
Ensconced in the kitchen, I’ve taken advantage of these ingredients to prepare all kinds of dishes that I’ve been intending to cook for some time, using recipes that have been standing by in my notes files, newspaper clippings and saved Internet link files. Finally – a chance to try them out, even if it’s just for my household. What fun!
Over this past weekend, I revisited a dish that always has just screamed spring to me – asparagus risotto. Risotto requires a bit of patience in its preparation but yields a satisfying and filling dish. Local asparagus adds that light, luxurious flavor to the rice and cheese. While I started from a New York Times recipe, I made a number of adaptations including adding tomatoes and sliced sausage pieces, which enlivened the dish even more. Risotto is so very easy to prepare. I hope you’ll give it a try.
Asparagus Risotto with Tomatoes and Sausage
(adapted from the New York Times)
Ingredients
7 cups chicken stock
2 tbs olive oil
½ cup minced shallot
salt to taste
1 ½ cup arborio rice
1 garlic clove minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 pint or ½ lb cherry tomatoes sliced thinly
2-3 links sweet Italian sausage
½ - ¾ lb asparagus, roasted briefly in oven
¼ cup slivered fresh basil
¼ to ½ cup. Grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Advance prep – Trim asparagus, snapping off the base ends. Drizzle with olive oil & salt and place on a tray in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes till softened. Set aside. Cook the sausage in a small pan, slice thinly and also set aside. In a saucepan, pour in chicken stock and bring to simmer over low heat.
When ready to go, heat olive oil in a wide, heavy skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook for ~5 minutes or till tender. Add rice and garlic, cook, stirring till the grains of rice separate, about 5 more minutes. Add the wine and cook till evaporated. Then start adding the stock, ladle-fulls at a time and starting with enough to just cover the rice. The mixture should be bubbling but just softly. Continue adding ladles of stock to keep the rice covered as the stock is absorbed. Stir often & check for tenderness. After 5 minutes, add asparagus, sausage and tomatoes. Keep checking for tenderness of the rice. When it’s just tender but still chewy it should be done, which would be a total of ~20-25 minutes of cooking. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add basil and cheese. Serve immediately in soup bowls.
