Gordon Ramsay’s asparagus risotto is bright, fresh and spring-green, made with blanched asparagus tips, white wine, mascarpone and Parmesan, ready in about 35 minutes. It’s best between April and June when British asparagus is in season, which Ramsay is firm about in the Cookery Course.
In Teaches Cooking II he tells readers to save their asparagus stems and “build out a spring vegetable risotto,” which is the closest he comes to writing this recipe directly. This version follows that instruction using his risotto method from Home Cooking and Make It Easy.
The technique that gives it the green colour is an asparagus purée stirred through the rice near the end. Ramsay teaches the purée method in Teaches Cooking II, sweating the stems gently so they stay vibrant. Browning them kills the colour.
Gordon Ramsay Asparagus Risotto Recipe
Course: Dinners, RisottoCuisine: British, ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes25
minutes350
kcal35
minutesA bright green spring risotto made with an asparagus purée stirred through creamy Parmesan rice, topped with blanched tips and a squeeze of lemon. Best made between April and June when British asparagus is in season, about £2.35 per person.
Ingredients
- For the Asparagus:
300g asparagus (about 2 bunches)
750ml vegetable or chicken stock
- For the Risotto:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 banana shallots, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
200g Arborio or Carnaroli rice
125ml dry white wine
50g cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 tbsp mascarpone
50g Parmesan, finely grated
Zest and juice of half a lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Prep the asparagus: Snap off the woody ends. Cut the tips off and set aside. Roughly chop the stems.
- Make the purée: Sweat the chopped stems in a little butter over low heat for 5 minutes until soft but not browned. Add a splash of stock, then blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Blanch the tips: Drop the asparagus tips into boiling salted water for 2 minutes until bright green but still firm. Drain and set aside.
- Build the risotto: Heat olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallots for 2-3 minutes, add the garlic for 30 seconds, then stir in the rice for 1-2 minutes until translucent at the edges.
- Deglaze: Pour in the wine and stir until fully absorbed.
- Ladle the stock: Add hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until each is absorbed. Keep going for 16-18 minutes until the rice is al dente.
- Finish: Take the pan off the heat. Stir through the asparagus purée, then beat in the cold butter, mascarpone and Parmesan until glossy. Fold in the blanched tips, lemon zest and a squeeze of juice. Season and serve immediately.
FAQs
When is the best time to make asparagus risotto?
British asparagus season runs from late April to late June. Ramsay is clear about this in the Cookery Course: he says to wait for British asparagus rather than buying imported, because it’s “much fuller of flavour and half the price.” Outside those months you’ll pay more for Peruvian asparagus that tastes like cardboard by comparison.
Why does Ramsay say not to brown the asparagus for the purée?
The colour comes from keeping the stems green. In Teaches Cooking II he sweats them gently so they soften without browning, which keeps the purée vibrant. If you sauté them hard the way you would mushrooms, the purée goes grey-green and the risotto loses that bright spring look. Low heat, patience, no colour.
How much does asparagus risotto cost per serving?
About £9.40 for four servings, so roughly £2.35 per person. Tesco Asparagus Spears cost £2.60 for 275g and you’ll need about 300g total. Rice, mascarpone, Parmesan, wine, stock and aromatics fill the rest. One of the cheapest risottos you can make, especially in season when asparagus drops in price. A a gently poached salmon fillet alongside makes it a proper spring dinner.
If you want to make it more special, seared lobster on top turns this into a proper showstopper, though the cost jumps to about £9 per person with Tesco lobster tails.
Can I use asparagus stems or do I need tips?
Both. That’s actually the whole point of this recipe. Ramsay’s instruction in Teaches Cooking II is to save the woody stems and use them for stock or purée, then keep the tender tips for the finish. The stems carry the flavour, the tips carry the texture. Throwing away the stems means losing half the asparagus flavour you paid for.
Can I use white asparagus instead of green?
Ramsay mentions white asparagus in Teaches Cooking II, saying it has “a very short season of seven to eight weeks” and a more earthy, milder flavour. It works in this risotto but you’ll lose the bright green colour since white asparagus purée is pale. If you can find both, mixing them gives you what he describes as a nice contrast. His his garlic butter chicken kiev uses the same seasonal thinking if you like building meals around what’s freshest.
Does asparagus risotto store well?
It holds better than seafood risottos but the asparagus loses its bright colour overnight. The purée goes from vivid green to dull khaki in the fridge, which is fine taste-wise but not as pretty. Eat it fresh if you care about the look. Keeps two days in an airtight container with a splash of stock to loosen when reheating. A a chicken piccata with lemon makes a good next-day dinner if you want to use up leftover asparagus tips as a side. I’ve tested all 15 of his risotto recipes across his cookbooks and this is the best one for spring.
