Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients for 4 people

280g risotto rice (carnaroli)

1 large bunch of green asparagus

20g shallot chopped

20g of white onion

30g butter

2 glasses of Prosecco

1l vegetable stock

30g Grana Padano cheese, freshly grated,

Salt, pepper, olive oil to taste

Preparation

To prepare the asparagus sauce, sweat the shallot in a casserole with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt until caramelised.

Trim off the bottom ends of the asparagus stalks, the woody part. Peel the asparagus with a potato peeler and boil in salted water for one minute. Cool them down in iced water to retain the green colour. Cut off the tips and set aside to use as garnish. Chop the asparagus left and stir in the shallot. Blend the sauce until smooth and season with salt and pepper.

Roast the rice in a saucepan on a low heat without adding any oil. The heat reaches the core of the rice grains faster and the rice roasts better.

Don’t let the rice catch on the bottom of the pan, so keep it moving. Quickly pour in one glass of Prosecco and add a good pinch of salt. Add the stock to the rice a ladle at a time, stirring for 12 minutes (the cooking time depends on the size of the rice grain). Do not turn down or turn off the heat while you are cooking. At half stage add the onion braised in the olive oil, and the asparagus sauce.

Once the time is up remove from the heat and add the other glass of Prosecco, butter and cheese. Stir well until it’s creamy and oozy. Be sure that you stir vigorously as it helps the rice to absorb air and become creamy.

Serve it hot and garnish with asparagus tips and fresh herbs.If you like this, then you will love his new book