Recipe of the Week: Crab and Asparagus Risotto

A couple of weeks ago, Zach and I recreated our wedding dinner to celebrate our anniversary. But instead of making the pumpkin risotto that was served to our guests, we made a crab and asparagus version instead. It was yummy. 

If you've never made risotto before, don't be intimidated. All it really calls for is a good amount of patience. You meditate on 2 main moves: ladle and stir, ladle and stir. You basically ladle 1/2 cup of broth into the pot each time, wait for all the broth to be absorbed by the rice (and you stir constantly while you wait so the rice doesn't stick!), then repeat until you've used up all your broth. 

Here's what we did ...

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus

shallots, sliced thinly

1 8oz can of lump crab

1 cup arborio rice

3 tbsp butter

3.5 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Blanch asparagus, then cut into small pieces.

Heat up broth and wine; bring to a simmer (do not boil), and keep it there for the duration of cooking

Cook shallots in butter until fragrant and golden.

Add cup of rice, stir and coat well.

Add 1/2 cup of broth, stir and wait till broth is absorbed, then add another 1/2 cup. Repeat until all the broth is used. This is how it looks after the first cup:

This is what you'll see after the last cup of broth:

Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, asparagus, and crab meat. Season with fresh crushed pepper.

Serve immediately!