Asparagus with Spelt Risotto

Remove the skin of 150 g of guanciale and thinly slice it crosswise

Add guanciale to a pan and set on low heat

Degrease the guanciale and cook, occasionally stirring, until crispy

Drain it to remove the fat

Transfer to a tray lined with paper towel to dry excess oil and cool

Put the guanciale on a cutting board and chop it into small pieces. Reserve

Add 1¾ cups of vegetable oil to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Warm to 50 ºC

Add 3 bunches of lovage to a blender

Add the vegetable oil. Blend on medium-high speed until completely pulverized

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Press slightly to extract as much of the oil as possible. The lovage oil is ready

Add 1½ cups of spelt to a pot with 3 cups of water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Cook for 15m until al dente

Strain the spelt through a sieve. Drain well

Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil to 180 °C. Fry ½ cup of the cooked spelt until crispy. Remove from the oil and season with salt to taste while hot

Chop mint and coriander leaves to taste

Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a saucepan. Heat until nutty golden brown. Allow the brown butter to cool in a bowl

In the same saucepan, add the remaining spelt over medium heat. Pour the brown butter over the spelt and stir

Season with salt to taste and add ¼ cup of grated parmesan. Mix until the parmesan melts

Add the chopped coriander and mint. Mix to combine

Add the fried spelt

Add the zest of ¼ of a lemon. The spelt risotto is ready

Bring a medium pot filled with water to a boil and add a handful of salt

Break and shell 1½ cups of green peas

Prepare an ice bath in a medium container

Add the peas to the boiling water and cook for 2m until tender

Drain the peas and tranfer them to the ice bath

Strain the peas and blend them on medium speed with ⅓ cup of water

Add 2 tbsp of cold butter

Add 1 tbsp of lovage oil and salt to taste

Blend until completely smooth. The pea purée is ready

Bring a medium pot filled with water to a boil and add two handfuls of salt

Remove the hardest part of the base of 8 asparagus. Scrape off the scales and peel the stalk ends to remove the tough skin

Prepare an ice bath that is heavily seasoned with salt

Add the clean asparagus to the boiling water and cook for 1m. It should still be crunchy

Transfer the asparagus to the ice bath and let them cool for 2m

Brown 3 tbsp of butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the blanched asparagus and salt to taste

Cook the asparagus for 1m until tender. Flip and toss to cook evenly. Remove from heat

Add 2 tbsp of the pea purée to the side of a serving plate. Place 4 pieces of asparagus next to it

Add 2 tbsp of the spelt risotto on top of the purée. Garnish with the guanciale and finish with 1 tbsp of the lovage oil

The asparagus with pea purée, guanciale & spelt risotto is ready! Enjoy!