Risotto With Asparagus And Morel Ragoût Recipes

ASPARAGUS AND MOREL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Place chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until butter starts to bubble. Add asparagus and morel mushrooms; saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate with any accumulated juices.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the same saucepan. Add shallot; cook and stir until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in arborio rice and cook until it starts to toast, about 1 minute. Pour in wine and cook until evaporated. Stir in thyme.
• Pour 1/4 cup of the simmering stock over the rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until stock is absorbed. Repeat with remaining stock until rice is tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Stir in asparagus and mushrooms with their juices and continue until flavors combine, about 3 minutes more.
• Remove rice from the heat. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with balsamic vinegar and additional olive oil before serving.

RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Peel the bottom third of the asparagus stalks with a vegetable peeler. Snap each stalk where it breaks naturally; reserve 4 of the peeled bottoms for crostini (below). Thinly slice 6 asparagus bottoms and place the rest of the bottoms in a saucepan with 8 cups water and the thyme to make asparagus broth; bring to a simmer.
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until glossy, about 1 minute. Add 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Pour in the wine and stir until absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup of the asparagus broth until absorbed (use a ladle to add the broth, keeping the solids in the pan). Continue to add broth in 1/2-cup increments, stirring constantly and allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding more, about 10 minutes. (You should have about half the broth left.) Stir in the sliced asparagus bottoms and the lemon zest. Add the remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until the rice is just tender, 5 to 8 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the asparagus tips in a large skillet, cover with water and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-high heat until just tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the parmesan and lemon juice to the risotto. Stir in the lettuce, remove from the heat and season with salt. Divide among bowls, top with the robiola and season with pepper. Drizzle the asparagus tips with olive oil and spoon over the risotto.

RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS AND PESTO

Steps:

• Put well-seasoned stock or broth into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat, with a ladle nearby or in the pot.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet or a wide, heavy saucepan. Add onion and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until it is just tender, about 3 minutes. Do not brown.
• Stir in rice and garlic and stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add wine and stir until it is no longer visible in the pan. Begin adding simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more stock and stirring when rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir continually, but stir often. After 10 minutes, add asparagus and continue to stir and add stock for another 10 to 15 minutes, until rice is cooked through but still al dente.
• Add another ladleful of stock to the rice. Stir in pesto and additional cheese and remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Mix should be creamy (add more stock if it isn't). Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.

RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS AND MORELS

Steps:

• Scoop the dried morels up from their soaking liquid and squeeze them, letting them drain back into the bowl. Follow by straining the soaking liquid through several layers of cheesecloth and then rinse the morels under running water before slicing them.
• Prepare the fresh morels. Rinse the morels quickly under cold running water and dry them with paper towels. Slice the tops and stems. In a small skillet, soften the shallots in one tablespoon of the butter over moderate heat. Add all the mushrooms and the strained soaking liquid, cover and cook gently for five minutes. Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a slow simmer.
• Heat one tablespoon butter and the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet and add the rice. Cook, stirring, until the grains are coated with the butter. Add a cup of the hot stock and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the mushrooms and season them with salt and pepper to taste, and add the white wine.
• When the liquid has evaporated, add the asparagus, reserving the tips in another one-half cup of the stock. Continue adding the stock, one-half cup at a time as the rice absorbs the liquid, stirring continuously. Add the asparagus tips after the rice has cooked for about 12 minutes, and continue adding the broth, one-half cup at a time, stirring frequently. Continue adding liquid and stirring until the rice is creamy and tender, but just slightly al dente. Correct seasoning, stir in the Parmesan cheese and the remaining butter and sprinkle with parsley.

FRESH MOREL, ASPARAGUS AND SWEET-PEA RISOTTO

Steps:

• Cook the asparagus in boiling, salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper and set aside.
• Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan, reduce heat and keep at a low simmer. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the rice with a wooden spoon, turning to coat well. Cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes. Stir in the wine, raise the heat to medium and cook until the wine is absorbed, about 1 minute.
• Begin adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and adding more broth as it is absorbed by the rice. Adjust heat so rice and broth cook at a steady simmer. After about 15 minutes, the rice should be somewhat tender and some broth should be left.
• Cook for another few minutes, adding more broth as needed, until the rice is al dente. Stir in the asparagus, the mushrooms, the peas, the chives and 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper. Divide among 6 shallow bowls and garnish with the chervil. Serve immediately.

CREAMY ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Steps:

• Bring the stock to a simmer in a medium pot, and then set aside. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan and cook the shallots until soft, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the rice and stir until translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the wine and simmer until reduced to almost dry. Ladle the stock into the rice slowly, stirring until it disappears each time. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the mascarpone and Parmigiano, stirring until well blended.
• Prepare a bowl of ice water. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus tips and stems until al dente, and then dip in ice water for 2 to 3 seconds. Place the stems in a food processor and add the creme fraiche and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until thick and smooth. Saute the tips in the melted butter over medium-high heat until well coated, about 1 minute.
• To serve, place a small amount of puree into a bowl, spoon some risotto over, and garnish with asparagus heads and fresh melissa, hyssop and garlic. Sprinkle sea salt on top to taste.

CHARLIE PALMER'S ASPARAGUS WITH MOREL RAGOUT

Steps:

• Place the asparagus in the top half of the steamer over boiling water. Cover and steam for about 6 minutes or until asparagus is just tender but still bright green. Immediately remove and refresh under cold running water. Drain well, pat and dry. Set aside. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute for about 5 minutes or until the leeks are beginning to soften. Add the morels, chicken stock, wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 26 minutes or until the leeks are almost melted and the liquid has reduced to a sauce-like consistency. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the chives and the parsley. Taste and, if necessary, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Place the asparagus on a serving plate. Spoon the Morel Ragout over the top of the rice and garnish with the remaining chives.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS, MOREL, AND PEARL-ONION RAGOûT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Blanch onions in boiling salted water 1 minute. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water to stop cooking. Trim root ends and peel.
• Pat chicken dry. Coat a 17- by 12-inch flameproof roasting pan with oil and put chicken in pan. Rub 2 tablespoons softened butter into skin over entire chicken. Season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Put 1 lemon half in cavity and squeeze remaining half over chicken.
• Roast chicken in middle of oven 20 minutes. Baste chicken, then continue to roast, basting about every 7 minutes, 20 minutes more. Scatter onions around chicken and continue to roast, turning onions and basting every 7 to 8 minutes, until chicken is golden and a thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh registers 170°F (juices will run clear), 25 to 35 minutes more.
• Once chicken begins roasting, soak morels in warm water 20 minutes. Lift mushrooms out of water, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl, and reserve liquid. Rinse morels thoroughly to remove grit and squeeze dry. Trim any tough stems.
• Pour reserved soaking liquid through a sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth or a paper towel into a small bowl.
• Cut asparagus diagonally into 2-inch lengths. Arrange on a steamer rack and sprinkle with kosher salt. Steam asparagus, covered, over boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking.
• Transfer roast chicken to a platter, then discard string and cover chicken loosely with foil. Transfer onions and pan juices to 2 separate small bowls (do not clean roasting pan). Skim and discard fat from juices.
• Set roasting pan over a burner. Add wine and deglaze by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add pan juices from bowl, any juices that have accumulated on platter (from chicken), mushroom-soaking liquid, and morels, then boil until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup.
• Cut remaining 2 tablespoons butter into pieces and add to morels with onions and asparagus. Cook over moderately high heat, shaking pan, until butter is just incorporated and vegetables are glazed. Season vegetables with salt and pepper and spoon around chicken.

ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Steps:

• Snap the woody ends off the asparagus stalks and tip them into a saucepan with the stock. Put on a low heat to very gently simmer. Meanwhile, cut off the tips of the asparagus, add to the stock for exactly 1 min. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Finely slice the rest of the stalks into rounds.
• Heat the oil and half the butter in a heavy, wide pan. Cook the onions gently for 5 mins until soft, stirring often. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and cook for 2 mins more. Add the rice and continously stir for a few minutes until it turns semi-transparent and makes a hissing sound.
• Stir in the wine, if using - it will evaporate almost immediately. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring between each addition until it is absorbed, about 15 mins.
• Try the rice - it should feel just cooked with a slight bite to it. Stir in the asparagus tips and any last dregs of stock and cook for 1 or 2 mins more. Remove from the heat and top with the remaining butter and most of the parmesan. Season generously, cover and leave for a few minutes to settle.
• Give the risotto a thorough stir to incorporate the butter and cheese and serve straight away with the remaining parmesan for sprinkling over.

RISOTTO WITH MORELS

Steps:

• Put the morels in a small bowl, add the water and set aside to soak for 30 minutes. Drain the morels, reserving the liquid. Mix the liquid with the stock and place in a saucepan. Keep at a low simmer.
• Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium-low heat until tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook, stirring, a few minutes until the rice begins to whiten. Add the wine and the morels. Stir.
• Gradually add the simmering stock, about half a cup at a time, stirring constantly. Add additional stock as each ladleful becomes absorbed into the rice. Continue adding the stock until the rice has swelled and is al dente. Continue to cook, stirring, another minute or so. The rice should be just tender and moistened with a thickened sauce.
• Serve dusted with Parmesan cheese.