White Asparagus Risotto with Salmon and Tarragon Aioli

There is a limited season for white asparagus, ending in the next few weeks. You
can find preserved white asparagus in jars, although the texture is soft, and should
be added to the dish at the very end as a garnish if used in this manner. If using
fresh white asparagus, make sure to peel off the ends of the individual stalks before
cooking, as they are quite fibrous.

This recipe was inspired by a seasonal, off-the-menu white asparagus dish created
by Alex Sampedro.

You can easily use regular green asparagus in this recipe—I just love white
asparagus whenever I can get it fresh. And I also enjoy the jarred version, too!
Some people find it too soft in texture, which I understand—different strokes for
different folks I guess, the flavor is so deep and earthy, I seek it out.

The following recipe serves 4-6 people.

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White Asparagus Risotto with Salmon and Tarragon Aioli

There is a limited season for white asparagus, ending in the next few weeks. You

can find preserved white asparagus in jars, although the texture is soft, and should

be added to the dish at the very end as a garnish if used in this manner. If using

fresh white asparagus, make sure to peel off the ends of the individual stalks before

cooking, as they are quite fibrous.

This recipe was inspired by a seasonal, off-the-menu white asparagus dish created

by Alex Sampedro.

You can easily use regular green asparagus in this recipe—I just love white

asparagus whenever I can get it fresh. And I also enjoy the jarred version, too!

Some people find it too soft in texture, which I understand—different strokes for

different folks I guess, the flavor is so deep and earthy, I seek it out.

The following recipe serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients

• 20 white or regular large asparagus stalks (ends trimmed and peeled)
• ¼ cup prepared mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon leaves (finely sliced)
• ¼ clove garlic (finely minced)
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 32 oz 1 quart fortified chicken stock
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 Tbsp Kosher salt (or more to taste)
• 2 Tbsp butter (for cooking the vegetables)
• 4 shallots (finely minced)
• ½ white onion (finely minced)
• 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
• ¼ cup white wine
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• 1.5 cups Arborio rice
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp butter (for finishing the rice)
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar (for finishing the rice)
• Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper (to taste)
• 4 oz smoked salmon (finely sliced)
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves (finely sliced, as garnish)

Instructions 

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
• Peel the asparagus stalks, and add them to the salty water.
• Boil the asparagus stalks for two to three minutes, or until the stalks are mostly-tender, but not completely soft.
• Remove the asparagus from the boiling water, and run the stalks under cold water until they are no longer warm.
• Cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces.
• Set the slightly-cooked and cooled asparagus aside for later.
• For the aioli, use a fork to mix together the prepared mayonnaise with the fresh tarragon, minced garlic, and lemon juice, and set the mixture aside.
• *If you want to make aioli this from scratch, combine two Tablespoons of fresh tarragon leaves with one whole egg and one cup of sunflower seed oil and one half of a teaspoon of Kosher salt and the zest and juice of ½ of a lemon in an immersion blender container, and blend the contents with an immersion blender until you reach your desired consistency.
• In a separate pot, bring the chicken stock to a gentle simmer with the fresh thyme and Kosher salt.
• Taste the stock, and add another pinch or two of salt, if desired.
• Reduce the heat on the stock to low.
• In a separate large sauté pan, add a few tablespoons of butter, in addition to the white onion and shallots.
• Cook the onion and shallots on medium heat for roughly ten minutes, or until the onions and shallots are translucent.
• Add the garlic cloves, and cook for an additional two minutes, or until the cooking garlic is fragrant and smells amazing.
• Add the white wine, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and cook the contents for an additional ten minutes, or until the white wine has almost completely dissolved.
• Add the dried Arborio rice, in addition to two cups of the chicken stock from earlier.
• *Any type of risotto-style rice will work here, there are a bunch or great short- grained, starchy options.
• Cook the risotto rice while stirring for roughly fifteen minutes, and then add another cup of hot chicken stock.
• After the rice has cooked for an additional ten minutes, add the final cup of chicken stock, and cook until the rice is tender.
• To finish, add a few Tablespoons of heavy cream, in addition to the finely-grated fresh parmesan cheese and a few Tablespoons of butter.
• Stir in a few drops of sherry vinegar, and taste the contents.
• Add more Kosher salt or freshly-ground black pepper, if desired.
• Add the cut, partially-cooked asparagus from earlier, and mix to heat the asparagus through.
• When the asparagus is hot and tender, you are ready to serve.
• Serve the risotto hot, in preheated shallow bowls, with a cold slice of thin smoked salmon on top, in addition to some of the prepared tarragon aioli from earlier, with some finely-sliced fresh parsley on top.
• *I like to mix this really hot risotto here with a cold, fine slice of smoked salmon on top—the temperature differences in plated ingredients is interesting to play with.

Notes

Risotto tastes great reheated—feel free to make extras with this recipe and scale-up the quantity of dried risotto rice and chicken stock used.
Just make sure to carefully season with salt at the end, adding salt slowly, in
stages, just like the stock—it takes a second for the Kosher salt to break down and fully absorb into the risotto.