Restaurateur, cookbook author and Food Network “Chopped” Judge, Chef Scott Conant, takes you through a delicious risotto recipe with spring onions asparagus and egg right from his home kitchen.
If you’re cooking along with us at home, find the ingredient and preparation list below or listen and enjoy for your next meal inspiration.
Makes 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the pan)
- 3 Tbsp shallots, diced fine
- 1 ½ tsp garlic, diced fine
- Crushed red pepper flakes, as needed
- Kosher salt, as needed
- 2 ½ Tbsp butter, unsalted
- 1 ½ cups vialone nano rice (if you can’t find, Aroborio works as a good substitute)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 5 cups warm vegetable stock/broth
- 1 ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 2 each egg yolks, optional
- 2 cups cleaned asparagus (cut off and discard tough bottom 2 inches- peeled the rest and cut the tips into 2-inch pieces- cut the rest of the stem into ¼ – ½ inch pieces)
- 1 cup spring onions (green onions) sliced about same size as asparagus bottoms
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
EQUIPMENT ESSENTIALS:
- Two stock pots, one with the stock heating up at the beginning of class
- 8 oz. ladle
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Medium sauté pan
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the vegetable stock in a pot.
In a 4-quart pot, heat about 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-heat and add the shallot, garlic, crushed red pepper, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. (Take the pan off the heat if the garlic starts to brown.)
Add 1 tablespoon of the butter, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is very tender (about 5 minutes). Add the rice to the pot, stirring for 1 minute to toast it lightly. Increase the heat to medium and add the wine and cook until most of the wine is evaporated.
Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook, stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed and evaporated.
Add another 1 cup of stock and increase the heat so that there is a fair amount of bubble on the surface and cook until the liquid is once again absorbed (this agitation helps release the starch as the rice cooks).
Add another 1 cup or so of stock and continue to cook, stirring, until liquid is absorbed into the rice, adding more stock as needed and stirring. To see if it’s time to add more liquid, drag the spoon through the rice; if the liquid doesn’t immediately fill in the space, it’s time to add more.
While you are doing the addition and cooking of stock, you can sweat the asparagus and the spring onions along with a little salt and the olive oil in a medium sauté pan, and sweat the vegetables just until they are tender on medium heat, and set aside.
With the third addition of broth, add the thyme. Continue to cook, adding broth as necessary, until the risotto looks creamy but the rice is still al dente, about 18 minutes.
Take the risotto off the heat. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, the cheese and the asparagus mixture and stir well. At this point, you can add the optional egg yolks off the heat and stir them in until well combined.
Serve immediately.
