Asparagus Risotto

When I was a long-ago exchange student in Austria, I was still staunchly anti-vegetable, and I was not tempted to participate in Salzburg's "Spargelfest." The people of Salzburg had (and presumably still have) a formal celebration of asparagus in the spring. I found this charming, but odd.

I have since come to see the glorification of asparagus as justified, and in any case, "never say no to a party" has become one of my mottos.

If you're with me, you could give "Super Asparagus-y Risotto" (Alexandra's Kitchen) a try. I used vegetable stock, and arborio rice. 

It was delicious, but I was reminded of how darned long it takes to make risotto. If you want a shortcut recipe that is no less delicious, try "Baked Risotto with Greens and Peas" instead, and you could certainly put asparagus in that.

Do you have one of these handy strainers? It sits in the pot while you cook, then you just pull it out to let the food drain. And then it folds up very small when you're done!

Salzburg was my study-abroad destination because I studied German for many years. As a student of German, you learn a lot about the Holocaust and the ways that anti-semitism continues to haunt us. With the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Americans are now having a moment of grappling with this, and that's important. But it also highlights how it is human nature to give our attention to whatever pot is boiling over, at the expense of sustaining efforts to address a problem.

The boiling pots are many. 200+ people have died in Gaza and Israel. George Floyd was killed one year ago today. Five people died in the US Capitol riot on January 6. The Atlanta spa shootings were just over two months ago. Two weeks ago, NPR reported "10 Mass Shootings In The U.S. Each Week This Year." But the outrage comes and goes. We cannot sustain anger and pain at high levels indefinitely, and no one has the ability to throw themselves into solving every single problem out there, but injustices continue if we don't make keep chipping away at them, over time.

This blog is your reminder not to wait for devastating hurricanes and wildfires to highlight our long-term climate emergency. Make it a habit to choose plant-based foods - that's a simple way to chip away at climate change, every day. If you have the time and resources, do more.