Watercress and asparagus emmer risotto
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Easy
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 200g asparagus
- 200g watercress
- 1.25l hot vegetable stock
- 250ml dry white wine
- 50g butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 4 fat garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 325g emmer
- 75g pecorino (or vegetarian alternative), grated
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
Method
- STEP 1
Trim the asparagus spears, and put the woody ends in a pan with the watercress and stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 mins or until the stems are tender. Cool for 10 mins, then blend until smooth. Pour back into the pan and add the wine.
- STEP 2
Melt 30g of the butter in a large, deep pan along with the oil, then add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Fry for 10-12 mins or until a lot of the liquid has evaporated and the onion starts take on a little colour.
- STEP 3
Next, add the fennel seeds and emmer, mix well and cook for 3 mins until lightly toasted. With the hob over a medium-high heat, gradually add cups of the stock, stirring slowly the whole time – only adding more stock when the previous cup has been absorbed. This will take 25-30 mins, at the end of which it will be creamy green with the emmer al dente.
- STEP 4
Add the pecorino and the remaining 20g of butter, and cook for a final 5 mins to thicken. Meanwhile, brush the asparagus stalks with a little oil and grill under a high heat for 5 mins until charred and tender.
- STEP 5
To finish, stir 1 tsp of lemon zest and 2 tbsp of juice into the risotto, divide between plates, top with the charred asparagus and finish with a grating of pecorino.
