Life All Travel Destinations Entertaining Food All Chefs Recipes Restaurants Wine Matching Wine All Wine 101 Wine News Wine Regions Wine Varietals Home > Selector Magazine > Food > Fennel, asparagus and cheese risotto Food Fennel, asparagus and cheese risotto Preparation time Cooking time Serves 6 INGREDIENTS 1 fennel bulb, trimmed 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces 120g butter Salt and white pepper to season 500ml chicken or vegetable stock 1 red onion, finely diced 1 clove garlic, crushed 250g Arborio rice 1 cup dry white wine ¼ cup cream 90g parmesan cheese, grated 1 tbsp roughly chopped flat leaf parsley leaves Extra shaved parmesan for garnish Salt and white pepper METHOD Trim the green stems from the fennel bulbs, peel the exterior layer off the fennel, reserve for stock. Finely slice the softer layers (using a mandolin is easiest). Gently cook the fennel and asparagus in half the butter until soft. Season then reserve. Heat the stock in a saucepan and add the fennel stems and outer layers. Simmer for 20 minutes, strain. Return the stock to the stove and keep on a low simmer until required. In a new pot, melt 30g of the butter and sauté the diced onion and garlic without colouring them. Add the rice to the pan and heat until warm, stirring to coat rice in the butter. Increase the heat and add the wine, then gradually add the hot stock while gently simmering the rice until cooked ‘al dente’ and almost dry (approx 30 minutes). Add cream, then fennel and asparagus. Stir for 1-2 minutes then add the remaining butter and cheese and adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsley and extra parmesan. Food Preparation time Cooking time Serves 6 SHARE