Salmon, Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

I have to confess that I had never made risotto before this - that's how much of an amateur chef I am. I've always wanted to try it, though. I saw a mention of salmon risotto somewhere on Pinterest and thought that sounded amazing, so I went hunting for a good recipe.

I looked around but didn't really find anything overly exciting, so in the end I just looked up one of Chef Michael Smith's recipes for risotto so I'd have the steps to follow and then threw in what I thought would taste good. It was kind of an intensive arm workout (in other words, I am woefully out of shape and found it hard to stir something continuously for what felt like hours but was probably something like half an hour) but it was really delicious and well worth the sore muscles.

I also picked up a couple of good tips in terms of technique for the next time - like not to throw the vegetables in too early or they get a little too soft. I can't wait to try out other delicious variations! And I'm not going to lie - it makes me feel fancy and sophisticated to tell people I made risotto. Sad but true.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups of chicken broth 
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups of short-grain rice (arborio rice is usually recommended, but sushi rice also works)
• 1 teaspoon of dill
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Several stalks of asparagus, chopped
• 1 can of red Alaskan salmon, deboned and skin removed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the broth in a saucepan until it boils. Reduce the heat but make sure to keep the broth warm.

In a separate large saucepan (leave plenty of room for the rice to expand as it cooks), heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until they have softened. Add the rice and stir it around until the grains are coated in oil. Cook for a few minutes until the rice has toasted up a little.

Add the dill and lemon juice. Begin adding the chicken stock to the rice one ladleful at a time. Stir until the rice has absorbed all of the broth, then add the next ladleful. Stir the rice continuously otherwise it will stick to the bottom of your pot and burn - not tasty.

Continue until around 3/4 of the broth has been added to the rice and absorbed. Add the chopped asparagus stalks, but don't add the tips until almost the very end because they cook faster. Add the salmon if you don't mind the salmon pieces coming apart a bit. If you'd rather keep them more intact, add them nearer the end so they don't get stirred to bits.

Finish adding the broth and stirring until the risotto becomes creamy and tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. With this recipe, I would recommend spritzing some more lemon juice on top of the risotto before serving. Garnish with fresh lemon or dill and enjoy!

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