Month: May
In Season: Asparagus

Recipe: Free-range Chicken and Asparagus Risotto

Both spring and summer, depending where you are in Europe, May is traditionally associated with fertility in the countryside when all becomes bright and green, and all sorts of fruit begins to blossom. In terms of meat and fish, we have new seasoned lambs being reared, as well as the best time to eat the brown crab (the big pie shelled one). In Celtic mythology, May was the first month of blooming and fertility, and they celebrate “Beltane”, a fire festival to honour the incoming summer. This festival is still celebrated in Edinburgh every year.

Historically, asparagus has been cultivated and used in cooking since Roman times. It’s name derives from “sparrow grass”, which is what people called it in the 19th century. While considered a vegetable, it is more sprout or grass from a plant. The reason that it is expensive is because its season only lasts six weeks and also because it takes three years to cultivate the land in order to produce a suitable crop.

Much mystery surrounds the cooking of asparagus, from special kettles to rigouress techniques, but truthfully it is a simple vegetable to prepare. Just cut the woody end off, leave tied in a bunch, and cast into a pot of salted boiling water for 3-5 minutes depending how you like your crunch. Some people like to peal the spears but if they’re fresh, there’s no need. 

The recipe below serves four as a main course or six people as a starter. It is not an altogether complicated dish and is something of a classic. The trick with risotto is to cook it until it still has a bit of a bite in it. This dish can be served with some crisp green leaves on the side and goes well with a crisp white, maybe a Pinot Grigio (Italy) or a refreshing Verdejo (Spain). You can also half the recipe and make it for two if you’re looking for something wonderful for supper. Risotto as a dish originated in the north of Italy and has much in common with Paella (a rice dish from Spain), in that both started as peasant dishes and are based upon the principal of allowing the rice to cook slowly in a highly flavour stock of meat, fish or vegetables. However, it would be a grave mistake to argue that they are the same! 

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 100g salted butted, cubed
• 1 large onion, diced
• Four supreme breasts of chicken (preferably free range and Irish)
• 400g Arborio rice
• 2L chicken stock, hot
• 300ml dry white wine
• 800g asparagus, trimmed
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lemons
• 100g rocket

Method

Melt the butter on a low heat. Add the onion and allow the onion to cook in the butter for 5 minutes.
It should not brown. If it starts to brown, turn down the heat. Add the chicken and cook on all sides. Add the chopped sage leaves.

When the chicken is no longer translucent, add the rice. Fold the onion and chicken over the rice. After a minute,
add the white wine and allow this to cook off and reduce. When the wine has all but gone, add a ladle of stock.
Allow the rice to absorb this liquid. Keep adding in the liquid a ladle at a time.

At this point, you can turn the heat as the rice absorbs more and more liquid. Cut the asparagus into two and put the stalks in at this stage.
After a few more ladles have been absorbed (near the end) you can add the spears in.

Season well with sea salt and black pepper. Just before you’re finished, check the rice to see if it’s ready.
It should still have a bite. Serve in warm bowls with some lemon wedges and rocket. 

Jp’s Tips

• Risotto is a labour of love. Don’t add in all the stock at once in order to save time as the rice will get very fluffy and starchy.
• If you can’t find free-range chicken, or if you find it too expensive, then just choose a good quality Irish chicken.
• In order to enjoy the cooking process, and not make it feel like too much labour, why not invite your friends earlier
  and chat to them while you’re finishing you’re risotto. Make sure the wine is open early!
• Music helps! Something calm and relaxing. Try Astrud Gilberto.