Cook Pasta as Risotto : Asparagus Pastotto

So there's been a recent interest going around about cooking pasta as one would risotto. I first read this advice in this season's Cook's Illustrated, but apparently it was also written in the NYT recently. In both places, it was just a two-sentence snippet with no recipe to back it up. Was this just another far-fetched excuse to add (even more) butter to pasta, or a treasonous disfigurement of Italian culture?

So I took the advice to its fullest meaning - after finding a suitable recipe for Asparagus Risotto (from NYT), I added a sprinkle of Ctrl-f Ctrl-v, I had myself a de-bonafide Pasta-Risotto recipe.

A quick google search confirms that I am not the first to test this recipe, or to coin "Pastotto". Still this recipe came out pretty darn delicious, and I hope you give it a try! I added at least one family secret, and tested the dish's robustness as left-overs.

Asparagus Pastatto

Ingredients
+ One bunch Asparagus (it's in season!), cut into 1-inch pieces
+ Chicken or Vegetable Stock - 4 cups
+ One pound of your favorite pasta - I used Fusilli
+ Splash of white wine - I used Pancake Cellars 'Big Day White'
+ Two tablespoons butter
+ One Onion, diced
+ Salt and Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste

Preparation
Add the stock to a small pot and keep it warm under low heat.

Boil half the asparagus for five minutes in two cups of water. Drain the green water into the warming stock pot. Blend the boiled asparagus with a food processor, blender, or hand blender. Set aside.

Melt half the butter in a large pan with rounded edges and high walls. Once the butter has stopped bubbling, add the onion and let it soften, five minutes. Add the pasta and coat it as evenly as possible with the butter and onion, for two minutes.

Add a splash (half cup or so) of white wine and let it boil away while constantly stirring. Don't forget to pour yourself some wine to drink slowly throughout the cooking process.

Now, start adding about the broth a cup at a time. Also add the other half of the uncooked asparagus, as well as the pureed asparagus. Continue in this fashion until the pasta is cooked - watch out! Pasta takes significantly less time to absorb the water and finish cooking - it took me about an hour.

Finally, once the pasta is tender, add a half cup of grated Parmesan, another tablespoon of butter, and cover the pot. Do not touch the pot for five minutes.

Uncover, mix thoroughly, and serve immediately.

Pastotto Pancakes

As leftovers, you can always panfry your risotto/pastotto with a little butter. The pasta does not hold together as well as risotto traditionally does, but it's still quite tasty.

Here is the finished product. Enjoy!