Champagne Risotto With Grilled Asparagus And Bacon Recipes

CHAMPAGNE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Place the slices of prosciutto on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake until the prosciutto slices are almost completely crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes. The slices will crisp up even more as they cool. Reserve for garnish.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Blanch the asparagus in the chicken stock for 2 minutes. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon. Set the asparagus aside and keep the chicken stock at a low simmer.
• In another medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the shallot and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat in the butter. Continue toasting the rice, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes more. Add the Champagne and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the asparagus, remaining butter, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Spoon the risotto into serving dishes and garnish by breaking the crisp prosciutto into smaller pieces over the top of the risotto. Serve immediately.

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.

WILD MUSHROOM AND ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Steps:

• In an electric kettle or medium saucepan with a lid, combine chicken broth and white wine and heat just to simmering. Keep warm.
• In a large 3 to 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the grains are translucent around the edges. Be careful not to allow the grains or the onions to brown.
• Reduce the heat to low. Add enough of the wine and chicken stock just to cover the top of the rice. Stir or move the pan often, until the liquid is completely absorbed into rice. Once absorbed, add another amount of liquid just to cover the rice and continue stirring or moving as before. There should be just enough liquid left to repeat 1 more time. It should take approximately 35 to 40 minutes for all of the liquid to be absorbed. After the last addition of liquid has been mostly absorbed, add the mushrooms and asparagus and stir until risotto is creamy and asparagus is heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, lemon zest, and nutmeg. Taste and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• *Cook's Note: If fresh wild mushrooms are not available, reconstituted dried mushrooms can be used instead. Place 2 ounces of dried mushrooms into a bowl and cover with warm water. Allow to sit for about 30 minutes or until all the mushrooms are soft and pliable.

GRILLED BACON-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Place asparagus in a large bowl. Pour olive oil over spears and coat each one. Wrap 2 to 3 spears with 1 slice of bacon. Repeat with remaining asparagus and bacon.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Grill asparagus until bacon is crispy, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Season with pepper.

CHAMPAGNE RISOTTO WITH SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; sauté 1 minute. Add rice; sauté 2 minutes. Add Champagne; simmer until almost all liquid evaporates, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Add 1 can broth; simmer until rice is almost tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add scallops; simmer until scallops are cooked through and rice is tender but still firm to bite and mixture is creamy, adding more broth if too thick and stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS AND BISON BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place asparagus in single layer in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake, uncovered, for 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Cool slightly. Cut into bite-size pieces; set aside.
• Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Cook onion in hot butter for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add rice. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Carefully stir in broth and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes (do not lift lid).
• Meanwhile, cook bison bacon, 1/2 at a time, over medium heat in a large skillet for 5 to 6 minutes per batch or until crisp, turning occasionally. If necessary, drain on paper towels. Transfer to a cutting board. Cool slightly; chop into bite-size pieces.
• Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in asparagus. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in bison bacon pieces and Parmesan cheese.

CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Steps:

• Season the chunks of chicken in salt and pepper and fry in oil for 3-4 minutes, then add the asparagus for a further 1-2 until everything is cooked. Place on a piece of kitchen roll for later use. Bring the stock to a simmer on the stove.
• Melt a good knob of butter and oil in a wide, heavy based frying pan and fry the shallots and garlic until translucent (taking care not to burn the garlic). Add in the rice and stir until all coated in oil - cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the rice husks split, from this point on do not stir the rice any more.
• Add the wine and cook until all the alcohol has been burned off, then add a ladle of stock to the rice. Once it has all been absorbed add another ladle, repeating for approximately 20 minutes. There is no exact science to cooking risotto, so the best way to check is to taste it to make sure it is cooked to your liking. If it is too firm, simply add more stock.
• Put back in the chicken and asparagus and warm through for 2-3 minutes.
• To finish, stir another good knob of butter into the rice and a good amount of grated parmesan, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in deep bowls with some parmesan shavings on top.

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 ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Prepare and trim asparagus*. Cut stalks into 2 cm long pieces, reserve the tips.
• Place ⅔ of stalk pieces, 1 cup broth and 1 cup water in blender and puree until almost smooth. Set aside.
• Sauté onion in olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter for 5 minutes in a large pan, over medium heat.
• Add prosciutto and sauté for 3 more minutes.
• Add rice and stir to coat the grains for 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until absorbed, stirring often, about 2 minutes.
• Add ½ cup stock and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, adding more stock as needed and allowing liquid to be absorbed before adding more, stirring often.
• Add remaining asparagus stalk pieces and reserved asparagus tips and continue cooking until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, adding stock as needed and stirring often, about 10 minutes longer.
• Add reserved asparagus puree and stir until absorbed, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the remaining butter, Parmesan and cream but do not return to the heat.
• * Slightly bend each stalk and allow it to „snap" naturally - it will break exactly at the point where the stalk begins to be thick and woody. Remove these hard parts.

RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS, MINT AND LEMON

Steps:

• Remove tips from asperagus and slice stalks into thin disks.
• Pour stock and water into medium saucepan and heat to low simmer. In 3-quart or larger pot, heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft and translucent. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until all the grains are well-coated. Quickly pour in vermouth or wine and stir until it has evaporated.
• Turn heat down to medium low and begin adding warmed stock to rice a ladleful (about 1/2 cup) at a time, stirring after each addition and waiting until the stock has been absorbed before adding more. Stir often enough to prevent rice from sticking to pan.
• When about half the stock has been absorbed, stir in asparagus slices and tips, then continue adding stock by the ladleful and stirring until it is absorbed. About 20 minutes after you began the process, taste rice for doneness. It should be tender, but not mushy, with a bit of crunch at the center. You may not need to add all the stock. The end texture should be creamy and slightly loose.
• Turn off heat and stir in remaining butter, cheese, mint and lemon zest and juice. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Cover pan and let risotto rest for a few minutes before serving. Pass additional Parmesan at the table.

ASPARAGUS, BACON & SHALLOT TART

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to an 11-in. tart pan and press into edges. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. Prick crust with a fork 5 or 6 times; line with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack until edge is light golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is light golden brown, 4-5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 375°., Trim tough ends from asparagus. Reserve 8 spears; cut remaining asparagus into 1/2-in. pieces., In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, 6-8 minutes; remove and drain. Add olive oil to skillet, then red onion, shallot and chopped asparagus; cook and stir until softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Return bacon to pan; stir in tomatoes, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Spoon into crust., Whisk eggs and cream; stir in cheddar cheese until blended. Pour over top. Arrange reserved asparagus spears in a spoke pattern with tips facing outward. Sprinkle with Gruyere cheese. Bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Steps:

• Place asparagus in an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking sheet. Bake, uncovered at 400° until crisp- tender, stirring occasionally, 20-25 minutes., Meanwhile, place prosciutto in another ungreased baking pan. Bake at 400° until crisp, 10-12 minutes. Crumble prosciutto; set aside prosciutto and asparagus., In a large saucepan, heat broth and keep warm. In a large skillet, saute shallot and garlic in oil until tender. Add rice; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat; stir in the wine, pepper and salt. Cook and stir until all the liquid is absorbed., Add heated broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Allow the liquid to absorb between additions. Cook until risotto is creamy and rice is almost tender, 20 minutes., Add the asparagus, prosciutto and cheese; cook and stir until heated through. Serve immediately.

RISOTTO WITH CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring chicken stock to a boil in a small saucepan, then keep warm over low heat.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the cubed chicken, and continue cooking until firm and lightly browned; set aside.
• Heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in the saucepan and cook onions until they soften and turn translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice, and continue cooking until the rice turns opaque, and the onion begins to brown.
• Stir in the wine and asparagus; cook, stirring constantly, until the wine evaporates. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in 1/3 of the hot chicken stock. Cook, stirring constantly, until all of the liquid has been absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in another 1/3 of the chicken stock and continue cooking and stirring until absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Season the risotto with oregano and basil. Pour in the remaining stock, and stir until absorbed again, 8 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the Parmesan cheese and chicken cubes.

RISOTTO WITH CHARD AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Combine pancetta and oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium. Cook until fat has rendered and the pancetta is golden brown and crisp, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add butter to the skillet and let melt over medium heat. Stir in shallot and cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chard stems and garlic, and cook until fragrant and golden, 2 minutes.
• Stir in rice and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until rice is opaque and smells slightly toasted, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in wine and cook until it's absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked through but still has a slight bite, 20 to 27 minutes.
• Add lemon zest and stir until well distributed. Stir in chard leaves and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes longer. If the risotto is too thick, stir in a little water or some more broth (do this until the level of creaminess pleases you; perfect risotto texture is subjective). Stir in Parmesan, then taste and add more salt, if needed.
• Spoon immediately into individual bowls. Sprinkle pancetta on top and finish with more Parmesan and black pepper, if you'd like. Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing.

CHAMPAGNE RISOTTO WITH GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND BACON

Steps:

• Cook bacon, transfer to paper towel, dice when cool. Grill asparagus in cooking spray or oil until golden brown. Cut into one inch pieces, set aside. In medium saucepan, bring broth to boil. Reduce to simmer. IN another saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the garlic and onions and cook til tender. Add the rice and continue to cook until lightly toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Add Champagne and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, and waiting until broth is absorbed, stirring almost constantly. Cook until the rice is tender(but still firm to the bite) and the mixture is creamy, about 20 min total. Remove pan from heat and gently fold in the asparagus, remaining butter, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Sppon the risotto onto serving dishes and sprinkle the bacon over top