I love saffron. And asparagus. And risotto. Therefore, the recipe I’m sharing here today was really inevitable!
Funnily enough, the recipe was created last year. It was one of the last asparagus recipes before the season ended and I quickly held on to it because my kitchen alone smelled so wonderfully of roasted asparagus, saffron and fresh mint and lemon. I snapped it with my old camera back then, but I think the photos are at least good enough to show how delicious this saffron and asparagus risotto with lemon and mint really is.
This meal simply combines a comfort food with such wonderful flavors that you just want to grab it.
Over the years here in my food blog and also in exchanges with many of my readers, I have repeatedly noticed that it is often the case that green asparagus is more tolerated than white asparagus by the “actually-asparagus-is-not-my-thing” faction. That’s why this risotto is really an absolute hit with us. The asparagus aroma is there, but is flanked by saffron, creamy risotto and a great freshness from the mint and lemon.
The asparagus season is about to start, so you are well prepared for the start and can get started straight away :-)!
What is your favorite recipe with the popular vegetable? What should I definitely try?
Feel free to write it to me in the comments!
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And here comes my recipe:
Saffron and asparagus risotto with lemon and mint
Ingredients for four people:
1 shallot
2 tbsp + 50 g butter
250 g risotto rice
1 untreated lemon (zest and 3 tablespoons of the juice)
approx. 750 ml vegetable broth
a small jar of saffron threads (approx. 10-15 threads)
1 large handful of freshly grated Parmesan
400 g green asparagus
Salt
Pepper from the mill
a handful of fresh mint leaves
Preparation:
First peel and finely dice the shallot. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pot large enough for the risotto and fry the shallot cubes until translucent. Heat the vegetable broth in another pot.
Wash the lemon with hot water, pat dry and then remove half of the peel with a citrus grater. Set the grated citrus peel aside. Cut the lemon open and squeeze out three tablespoons of juice.
Add the risotto rice to the diced shallots in the pot and fry for a few minutes. Deglaze with the lemon juice and stir. Now add hot vegetable stock in ladlefuls in several stages and stir it into the risotto and let it boil down. This takes about 20-30 minutes in total. Only add enough liquid so that it can be absorbed by the rice. At the end, the risotto should be soft but still have a bite.
While the risotto is cooking, wash and clean the asparagus spears. If necessary, cut off the bottom ends or peel them minimally and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Fry the asparagus pieces vigorously in a pan with a tablespoon of butter and season with salt and pepper.
Towards the end of the risotto’s cooking time, take about two tablespoons of the vegetable broth and place the saffron threads in a small bowl and stir gently and crush. Wash the mint, shake dry and pick off the leaves. Chop the leaves finely.
Once the risotto is fully cooked, add the dissolved saffron threads along with the broth. The 50 g of butter as well as the Parmesan, the lemon zest and the asparagus pieces are also folded in. Season everything together again with salt and pepper and serve immediately sprinkled with the chopped mint.
Bon appetit!