This risotto delivers the creaminess typical of rice cooked in the Thermomix, paired with the contrast of asparagus tips seared separately in a pan: golden and slightly crispy outside, tender inside. The same texture you see in the photo.

Why the tips are cooked separately

It's the detail that turns an ordinary risotto into a restaurant-style dish, and it only costs one extra pan to wash.

If you put all the asparagus into the bowl, after 14 minutes of cooking the tips break apart and disappear into the rice: good, but one-note. Cooking them separately in butter over high heat gets you the Maillard reaction, the browning that develops toasted aromas that cooking in liquid simply can't produce. The result is a contrast of textures and flavors within the same dish.

The stalks, on the other hand, are perfectly fine in the bowl: as they cook they soften and release flavor through the whole risotto.

How to trim asparagus without wasting any

Don't guess where to cut the tough part: bend the stalk toward the base and let it snap on its own. Where it breaks is exactly where the tender part ends and the woody, fibrous part begins.

If it bothers you to throw away the trimmings, simmer them in the broth water for about ten minutes, then strain: you get an asparagus-infused broth that makes the risotto much more flavorful, at no extra cost.

The secret to finishing the risotto

The butter needs to be cold from the fridge, not at room temperature. The thermal shock between the cold butter and the hot rice creates a stable emulsion that makes the risotto glossy and creamy: it's the traditional "all'onda" finish. With soft butter the emulsion doesn't form the same way and the result is greasier rather than creamy.

The two minutes of resting with the lid closed matter too: the rice finishes absorbing the liquid and the flavors settle.

Variations

With speck: crispy cubes sautéed together with the tips, a classic from South Tyrol.
With shrimp: add them in the last 3 minutes at Soft speed, the same way I do with salmon in rice with salmon and zucchini.
Fully vegetarian: swap the butter for extra virgin olive oil and increase the Parmesan to 60 g.
With pumpkin: if you like this method, pumpkin risotto uses the same cooking technique.

Storage

Risotto should be eaten right away, that's the rule. If you have leftovers, the next day it makes a great base for arancini or a rice cake: spread it in a baking dish, cover it with cheese and brown it in the oven.

Ingredients

250 g risotto rice (Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)

350 g thin green asparagus

650 g boiling vegetable broth (or hot water with 1 teaspoon stock powder)

1 small shallot (about 20 g)

20 g extra virgin olive oil

50 g dry white wine

40 g butter total (20 g for the tips in the pan, 20 g cold for finishing)

40 g grated Parmesan

salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

Bend each asparagus toward the base until it snaps on its own, breaking off the tough, woody end. Cut off the tips (the first 4-5 cm) and set aside; slice the stalks into thin rounds

Put the shallot in the bowl and chop it

⏱ 5 secvel 5

Push the chopped shallot down with the spatula, add the oil and sauté

⏱ 3 minvel 1🌡 120°C

Add the sliced stalks and the rice and toast them, reverse mode

⏱ 2 minvel 1🌡 100°C

Pour the white wine in through the lid opening, without the measuring cup, reverse mode

⏱ 1 minvel 1🌡 100°C

Pour in the boiling broth, adjust the salt if needed and stir well with the spatula to release the rice from the bottom. Cook, reverse mode, resting the basket on the lid in place of the measuring cup

⏱ 12-14 minvel 1🌡 100°C

Meanwhile, in a small pan melt 20 g of butter over medium-high heat, add the reserved asparagus tips, season with salt and pepper. Sauté, shaking the pan, until tender inside and nicely browned outside, then turn off the heat and keep warm

⏱ 4-5 min

Once the rice is done, add the remaining cold butter and the Parmesan to the bowl and stir gently with the spatula

Let the risotto rest in the closed bowl

⏱ 2 min

Plate the creamy risotto and arrange the golden buttered tips on top, along with their pan juices

Tip

Before serving, try a twist of fresh black pepper or a little lemon zest: two different ways to finish the dish, pick whichever you prefer.

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I run in-person demos in South Tyrol (Alto Adige), Italy. Wherever you are, the recipes on this site are yours to use freely.

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