Risotto bicolore con asparagi e fragole
Bicolor risotto: risotto with strawberries and asparagus
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- 320 g (11 1/4oz) rice
- 500 g (1lb and 1 1/2oz) green asparagus
- 200 g (7 1/4oz) ripe and smelling strawberries
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives
- 250 g (8 3/4oz) leek, finely chopped
- 4 quail eggs
- 6 halves dried tomatoes
- 100 ml (3 1/2fl oz) red wine
- 100 ml (3 1/2fl oz) white wine
- 1.4 l (2 pints and 9 1/4fl oz - 6C) vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Time:
preparation: 25 minutes
cooking: 50 minutes
total: 60 minutes - Difficulty:
medium difficulty - Nutrition Facts (amount per serving):
Calories: 407 (kCal) - 1702 (kJ)
Protein: 12.3 (g)
Total fat: 9.0 (g)
Total carbohydrate: 68.9 (g)
Sugars: 13.6 (g)
Asparagus-and-strawberry risotto recipe
Prepare the asparagus. Trim off the bottom ends of the stalks that is the harder part. It's enough to see where the green color begins to fade. Wash them thoroughly. Bring the asparagus stalks together again in a bundle. Cut a piece of kitchen string long enough to wrap a couple of times around the bundle. Tie the kitchen string into a knot to secure it and put the bundle in a deep pot (or in an asparagus steamer, if you have). Be careful the bundle is well upright. Add 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover with a lid and continue simmer until so tender to reduce them to puree.
Boil the quail eggs. Put the quail eggs in a little pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Run under cold water immediately to shell them easily.
Prepare the broth. Meanwhile prepare the broth and keep it boiling while you're cooking your risotto.
Begin cooking the risottos. At this point you can begin cooking the rice in separate pots.
Remove the outer leaves and the end of the leek, cut it in half lengthwise and slice thinly. Divide it and the oil into the two pots. Fry the leek on very low heat. Add half of the rice in each pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the rice looks milky. Pour in the wine (white wine for asparagus risotto and red wine for strawberry risotto). Let it evaporate over high heat, stirring now and then.
At this point add 2 ladlefuls of the vegetable broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring. Keep on adding the broth, one ladle at a time, until the rice is tender. Remember to respect the cooking time on package.
Cut out 8 pieces from sun-dried tomatoes and then cut the remaining ones and add to the risotto wth white wine few minutes before the end of cooking.
Prepare strawberry and asparagus purée. While the two kinds of risotto are cooking you have to prepare the strawberry and asparagus purèe.
Clean and run the strawberries under cold water quickly. Dab the water in excess with paper towels and blend them in a food processor. Remember to put part two of them to garnish.
Then rReduce the asparagus to purée. If the asparagus are not fibrous they can be blended. Otherwise it is better to pass them through a food mill. Remember to set aside 4 of them to garnish.
The last step. One minute before turning off the stove add the mashed strawberries and asparagus to their risotto. Turn off the stove and sprinkle every risotto with parsley and chives.
Transfer the two risottos in the serving dish. Decorate according to your imagination or, as we suggest in the picture, with quail eggs, asparagus, strawberries and bits of dried tomatoes that you've put apart. The idea is to create flowers. Serve immediately.
Note
- - Obviously you can add some soft cheese when turn off the stove to enrich your dish but we prefer the risottos in this ways.
- - As you can see reading its nutrition facts bicolor risotto with asparagus and strawberries is a balanced, low fat dish but delicious at the same time. Eating healthy, simple and tasty? You can!
What's the right wine ?
Our suggestion is: a good-quality rosè wine such as Cerasuolo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
The author Loretta Sebastiani lives in Italy (IT)
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