Name: Asparagus Risotto with Fonduta
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Salt & freshly ground black pepper; 1½ tablespoons double cream; 2 egg yolks; 5 (6) tablespoons milk; 190 g (6½ oz, ⅔ cup) fontina, rind removed, thinly sliced; 250 g (9 oz, 1⅓ cups) Arborio rice; 16 asparagus spears, peeled & well trimmed; 90 ml (3 fl oz, ⅓ cup) dry white wine; 125 g (4½ oz, 9 tablespoons) unsalted butter; 2 shallots, finely diced; 600 ml (1 pint, 2½ cups) Cheese-infused Chicken Stock; 15 g (½ oz, 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

A Passion for Cheese

By Paul Gayler

Published 1997

About

Fonduta is one of Italy’s great classic sauces and I use it a lot with pasta and vegetables. Here it makes a creamy addition to an asparagus risotto. Lightly sautéed wild mushrooms can be stirred into the risotto with the asparagus for added flavour, if liked.

Ingredients

16 asparagus spears, peeled & well trimmed
125 g (4½ oz, 9 tablespo

Method

For the fonduta, put the cheese in a pan with the milk and leave for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, cook the asparagus in boiling salted water for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain, refresh in cold water and then dry. Cut into thin diagonal slices and set aside.

Put the butter for the fonduta in a stainless steel or glass bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, mak