Goat’s Cheese Risotto with Asparagus

Ingredients:

• 4 large spears of asparagus per person
• 100g Cuinneog butter
• 1 litre Seaweed stock ( 4/5 sheets of dried nori seaweed left in 1 litre of water for 4-5 hours )
• 4/5 morels per person ( different mushrooms can be used such as small shitake or pied bleu )
• Asparagus puree:
• 1 shallot, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 300g asparagus, finely sliced
• 1 sprig tarragon
• 1 sprig mint
• 25g butter

Method

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter over a low heat until soft, add the herbs and cook for another 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water until tender, then drain and refresh in iced water.
3. Transfer the softened shallots to a blender with the asparagus and blend to a smooth puree; season and pass through a chinois and chill. When ready to serve, warm gently in a pan and put into a squeezy bottle.

Tapioca:

Cheese mix:

• 35g parmesan
• 60g St Tola goat’s cheese
• 225g Crème Fraiche

Grate the parmesan finely and mix well with the crème fraiche and St.Tola goats cheese

Tapioca:

• 160g tapioca
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 1 litre water
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Bring the chicken stock and water to the boil, add the tapioca and salt and reduce to a simmer. Cook the tapioca for 15 minutes or until a small white dot remains in the middle of the grain.
2. Note: The tapioca must be stirred continuously to avoid it sticking to the pot and burning. Drain in a fine sieve and rinse under warm running water for a few minutes. Cool and refrigerate.
3. Reheat the tapioca in a pot with half a cup of chicken stock or water. When hot, add the cheese mix and stir to combine. The texture should be like that of a creamy risotto.
4. Blanch the green asparagus for 3 minutes in salted, boiling water and refresh in iced water. Leave the asparagus in the seaweed stock for 5-6 hours. You can prepare the asparagus purée in advance and set aside. Then prepare the tapioca and St.Tola cheese mix.
5. The final assembly of the dish: Take the asparagus from the seaweed stock and roast in a non-stick pan with plenty of Cuinneog butter on a medium heat until they are caramelised and browned and almost as if over-cooked. For the last 2 minutes roast the mushrooms with the asparagus and Cuinneog. Warm the asparagus puree in a small pot. Warm the tapioca and goats cheese mix as per the recipe.
6. Place a spoon of asparagus puree in the centre of the plate and form into a circle using the bottom of the spoon and place 3-4 spoons of the warm tapioca mix on top. Drain the asparagus and mushrooms on some kitchen paper and then place the asparagus just off the centre of the tapioca mix and the mushrooms on top of the tapioca.

(The original title which we are not using: Roasted asparagus in Cuinneog butter with pearl grain tapioca, St. Tola goats cheese and roast morel/shitake mushrooms).