The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us

Blog

Taking Time to Live Well

  • All
  • Chalkboard
  • Christmas
  • Competition
  • could do
  • Eating
  • Escape
  • Escaping
  • Fresh
  • Fun
  • gardening
  • Gathered
  • Gathering
  • Growing
  • Haikus
  • Interview
  • Living
  • Looking back
  • Magazine
  • magical creatures
  • Making
  • Miscellany
  • My Neighbourhood
  • Nature
  • Nest
  • Nesting
  • outing
  • playlist
  • Reader event
  • Reader offer
  • Shop
  • Sponsored post
  • Sunday Best
  • Think
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • Wisdom

Photography by Ali Allen

Recipe | Wild Garlic Risotto with Griddled Asparagus

Iona Bower April 23, 2022

Risotto is a wonderful canvas to showcase the first of a new season’s produce and in this instance, the celebratory ingredients are spring’s premium greens: wild garlic and asparagus

SERVES 4 (with enough leftovers for arancini) or 6 (with little to no leftovers)

RISOTTO BASE
Olive oil, plus extra to finish 2 onions or 3 leeks (whites and light green), finely chopped
300g risotto rice
A wine glass of white wine (optional but adds heaps of flavour)
1.5 ltr stock (chicken or veg for a classic risotto), simmering
Half of the wild garlic purée (below), more or less, to taste
1 lemon, zest and a squeeze of juice, to finish

WILD GARLIC PURÉE
300g wild garlic (you can pad it out with baby leaf spinach, if needed)
100g salted butter

GRIDDLED ASPARAGUS
400g asparagus

1 Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onion and gently cook until the onion is glossy and tender.

2 Tip in the rice and let it crackle and pop for a few minutes. Pour in the wine and let the rice guzzle it up.

3 Add a crack of black pepper and cook for a min or 2 before adding the first ladle of stock.

4 Set a timer for 20 mins. Lower heat to a simmer and add the stock to the rice, little by little, until the timer goes.

5 While it cooks, make the wild garlic purée. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Plunge the wild garlic in the water then drain immediately and rinse under really cold water to cool down. Squeeze out excess water, roughly chop and blend with the butter to make a smooth purée – add a little lemon juice and/or more, butter, if needed. Season to taste and set aside.

6 Once the risotto has had 20 mins, take off the heat and griddle your asparagus. Set a large frying pan over a high heat. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus (save them for the Asparagus stalk arrabbiata). Rinse the asparagus then add to the smoking hot pan while it still has a little water clinging to it. Season with a good pinch of salt. Cook for 4-5 mins, turning once or twice, until just tender and slightly charred. Season well.

7 Place the risotto back on the heat just to warm through. Fold in the wild garlic purée. Taste and adjust the seasoning and add a bit more stock, if needed. You want the risotto to have a creamy texture and not be too thick. 8 Scoop the risotto onto warm plates and top with the griddled asparagus, a drizzle of olive oil, grated lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice

This risotto was just one of the recipes from our Home Economics pages, which is all about reviving age-old wisdom about household management and deeply valuing all our resources: our time, ingredients and the money we invest in them. As well as the risotto, the feature includes recipes for Rosy Strawberry Crumble, Arancini with Asparagus Stalk Arrabiata, Almond Shortbread with Rose Sugar, Wild Garlic Butter and Strawberry Shrub. They’re all in the May issue, which is in shops now. The recipes are by Rachel de Thample with photography by Ali Allen.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our blog…

Featured
Camping Alamy.jpeg
May 17, 2025
Outdoors | Camping Truths
May 17, 2025
May 17, 2025
Warbler.jpeg
May 13, 2025
Nature | Why Birds Sing at Dawn
May 13, 2025
May 13, 2025
Broad beans.jpeg
May 10, 2025
Recipe | Spring Beans on Toast
May 10, 2025
May 10, 2025

More recipes for wild garlic…

Featured
Wild Garlic Scones.jpeg
Apr 5, 2025
Recipe | Wild Garlic & Goat's Cheese Savoury Scones
Apr 5, 2025
Apr 5, 2025
TST119_HomeEc_may 123.jpg
Apr 23, 2022
Recipe | Wild Garlic Risotto with Griddled Asparagus
Apr 23, 2022
Apr 23, 2022
May 2, 2021
Recipe: Wild garlic bannocks with asparagus pesto
May 2, 2021
May 2, 2021
InFresh Tagsissue 119, risotto, wild garlic, home economics
  • Blog
  • Older
  • Newer
Featured
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
Join our Newsletter
Name
Email *

We respect your privacy and won't share your data.

email marketing by activecampaign
facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram
  • Subscriber Login
  • Stockists
  • Advertise
  • Contact

The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram