Black Venere rice with green asparagus and ricotta-saffron cream

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 160 g black rice (Venere rice)
• 1 bunch of green asparagus
• 1 shallot(s) or small onion
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 200 g ricotta
• 5 tbsp milk
• 50 g Parmesan
• Salt
• Chili flakes (pepper flakes)
• 1 bag of saffron
• olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

vegetarian

Wash the asparagus and trim off the tough ends. Cut the asparagus spears into approximately 3 cm long pieces, leaving the heads whole. Dice the shallot or onion and thinly slice the garlic. Cook the rice in salted water in a pot for 25-45 minutes according to the package instructions. Heat a little olive oil in a pan, fry the shallot briefly, then add the garlic and finally the asparagus with a little water. Season with salt and cover the pan. Sauté the asparagus over low heat for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus, until the asparagus spears are soft and the water has evaporated. Stir occasionally and season with hot pepper flakes at the end, if desired. Meanwhile, heat the milk and dissolve the saffron in it. Let cool slightly. Stir the ricotta and Parmesan into the saffron milk in the pot and blend with an immersion blender until a smooth cream forms. This saffron cream can be served cold or gently warmed, for example, by placing the pot on top of the rice pot. Place a decorative layer of the saffron cream in a large, deep plate, then use a serving ring to alternate the rice and asparagus on top of the cream. Carefully remove the serving ring and arrange a few asparagus heads on top for decoration.