serve 2, df, ve, gf
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sticks of celery, sliced
10 asparagus sticks, the heads chopped off, and the remainder chopped to 1 cm pieces.
100g fresh or frozen peas
250g arborio rice
1-litre vegetable stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
pepper to taste
1 teaspoon herbs de provence
to serve -
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 spring onions finely sliced to serve
optional parmesan shavings or 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
method
make up 1 litre of vegetable stock
in a large frying pan, heat up some olive oil over a medium heat
lightly fry the asparagus tops, just enough that they soften and turn slightly brown
remove from the pan, then to the same pan add the chopped onions, garlic, and celery and sauté until golden
then add the rice, the chopped asparagus ends (not the tops!), herbs de provence and stir
after a minute or two, pour in the vegetable stock and let the rice absorb the liquid
let the risotto simmer and cook, on a low heat making sure to stir every couple of minutes and add more liquid as needed
cook the rice for about 20 minutes, then stir in the peas and cook for a final 5 minutes (add extra water if needed)
if using nutritional yeast, stir in now
divide the risotto between two bowls, top with asparagus tops, fresh parsley, chopped spring onions, parmesan if using and a drizzle of olive oil.