Risotto with Guanciale, Asparagus, and Goat’s Milk Robiola

This is a classic risotto recipe that has a little taste of spring with a delicious asparagus puree and hints of lemon.

The recipe starts by rendering the fat of that guanciale, which will be used to sauté the shallots and the rice, adding a lot of extra flavor. When cooking risotto, it is always very important to prepare fresh stock, but if you don’t have that much time, you can surely use store-bought stock.

We are making a cheese sauce for garnish made with a creamy goat’s milk cheese called Robiola, which is very typical in the north of Italy.

Making a risotto takes a little bit of dedication because you have to stir almost constantly but, it’s only for 20 minutes and the result is absolutely worth it.

Buon appetito!

Risotto with Guanciale, Asparagus, and Goat’s Milk Robiola

Servings 4 people

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 quart vegetable stock homemade (see below **) or good-quality store-bought
• 1 cup Carnaroli rice
• 2 cups asparagus puree
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 oz guanciale
• 1 large shallot very finely chopped
• 1 cup 240 ml white wine
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 cup 100 g freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2.5 oz 1 roll Robiola Arrigoni
• 1 tablespoon lemon infused EVOO
• Salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

• To make the Robiola cheese sauce, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Then lower the heat by reducing it in half. Turn off the heat, add the Robiola cheese and ¼ cup of grated Parmigiano. Stir with a whisk until all the cheeses are melted in a velvety sauce. Set aside.
• Cut 4 slices of guanciale lengthwise, ½ inch thick, then cut each slice into ¼ inch strips.
• Put them in a pan and turn the stove on low heat. Guanciale needs to cook on low heat for the fat to render properly. This will take around 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, cut the shallot into small, diced pieces. Once the guanciale gets a nice golden-brown color, remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon and keep the fat in the pan.
• Add shallots and rice to the pan. Cook on medium heat for 60 seconds, stirring continually.
• Keep the stock very hot while you start making the risotto.

  Add the wine, raise the heat to high, and let the wine reduce, keep stirring for about 5 minutes until the wine has been absorbed. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper.

  Reduce the heat to medium.
• From here on, you will keep stirring and adding the hot stock a few ladles at a time, as the rice asks for it, waiting until the previous addition has been absorbed before adding the next.
• Keep on stirring to bring the starch out of the rice and get your risotto very creamy. At the 17-minute mark, taste the rice. It should still be too al dente, but we are getting close and it is always better to check.
• Add the asparagus puree and lemon zest. Keep cooking, just a few minutes more, adding stock if needed, until the rice is just tender, but still al dente.
• Remove from the heat and add 4 tablespoons of very cold butter cut it into cubes, the remaining grated Parmigiano Reggiano, and the lemon-infused olive oil.
• Stir vigorously; adding a little more stock if it is looking too thick. When the butter is all melted, the risotto is ready.
• Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
• To serve, gently warm the cheese sauce.

  Plate the risotto in 4 bowls, drizzle some cheese sauce on top, and garnish with chives, some lemon zest, and the crispy guanciale.

Notes

Homemade vegetable stock **

Ingredients:

1 onion, peeled and cut in half
2 carrots, washed and roughly chopped
2 celery stalks (no leaves), roughly chopped

Instructions:
Cut the asparagus woody ends and add them to your vegetable stock.
Put the ingredients in a large saucepan and add 3 liters of cold water.
Cook on medium heat for at least 45 minutes. The water should slowly simmer, but
never boil.

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: asparagus, risotto