Asparagus and rice soup

Makes: 6|Cooks In: 45 mins|Difficulty: Easy

“This is a rice soup, rather than a risotto, as it does not need to be stirred. Simply add good chicken stock or a vegetable stock to the chosen base and then add your rice. A rice soup should be silky, healing and totally satisfying, like some of the Vietnamese or other Asian soups that we have become accustomed to.”

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium-sized potato, peeled and very thinly sliced
2 litres hot Golden Chicken Stock
200 g Italian rice
300 g fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 cm pieces
salt and pepper
freshly grated parmesan, to taste