Ingredients
Spring Pea and Asparagus Risotto with Wild Garlic Oil
Directions
Method
- Step 1, Firstly - make the oil. Place the wild garlic leaves in boiling water and cook for one minute. Remove and blanch the wild garlic leaves in ice-cold water (this helps retain their vibrant green colour).In a food processor, blitz the wild garlic, and gradually add the oil until you have a bright green colour.
- Step 2, Pass the wild garlic oil mixture through a sieve, keeping the excess wild garlic mixture and setting aside (you can stir this through risottos and pasta sauces for extra colour and flavour). You can also pass the green oil through a cheese cloth for a cleaner finish.
- Step 3, Store in a sterilised jar – it should keep for three weeks out of the fridge, and up to three months in the fridge. Another tip: Tip: the flavour of wild garlic oil is aromatic, but not too garlicky in flavour – if you wish for a more typically garlicky flavour, add a couple of garlic cloves to the jar to infuse.
- Step 4, Melt 2/3 of the butter and sweat the onions in a large saucepan.
- Step 5, When the onions are soft, add a spoonful of the excess wild garlic leaves (from the sieve in the oil instructions). Add the rice and stir to make sure coated in the buttery onion mixture. Add the wine and stir. When the wine has evaporated, add the vegetable ladle by ladle, stirring constantly (it should take about 20 minutes to add all the stock gradually).
- Step 6, When the risotto rice has absorbed most of the stock and the grains are soft, add the frozen peas and cover with a lid for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil on a medium heat in a frying pan and add the cut up asparagus. Fry for 6-7 minutes with a sprinkling of salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
- Step 7, Take the risotto off the heat and add the grated parmesan and the remaining third of butter, chopped mint and the lemon zest, before putting the lid back on and leaving to rest for a couple of minutes.
- Step 8, Serve up with the fried asparagus on top, extra grated parmesan, a squeeze of lemon, and drizzle wild garlic olive oil on top.
Recipe Note
About This Pea and Asparagus Risotto
British asparagus and the first English peas overlap for a short window from late April to early June, which is the natural moment for this asparagus risotto. Wild garlic, which carpets shaded woodland from March to May, sits in the same calendar and brings a clean, herbaceous, mildly oniony flavour that lifts the dish without competing with the gentler greens. Carnaroli or Arborio rice is the right choice for the base, holding enough starch to give a creamy finish without losing bite. Stirred through a good vegetable or chicken stock and finished with butter and parmesan, the risotto carries the spring ingredients without ever overwhelming them.
Serving Suggestions
This pea and asparagus risotto sits well on its own as a primo, or alongside a simple piece of pan-fried fish or grilled chicken for a fuller main. A chilled glass of unoaked Italian white wine, a Soave or a Vermentino, pairs particularly well.
Any leftover wild garlic oil is worth keeping in a sealed jar in the fridge, where it will hold its colour and flavour for around a week. A quick wild garlic oil recipe like this is endlessly useful through the spring season.
