Asparagus Risotto

This is the perfect weather for a nice hot bowl of creamy risotto! In this case, I decided to make Asparagus Risotto - more specifically, skinny asparagus. If you can't find those beautiful skinny stalks and have to settle for thicker stalks, you might want to give them a quick blanch to make sure they're not stringy. I used the full pound, but as you can see, there is quite a bit of asparagus here, so if you want to sneak a few stalks into a salad or some other dish, your risotto won't suffer any from the loss.

INGREDIENTS :

1 lb asparagus, chopped (reserve a few for garnish)

32 oz chicken broth

3 T butter, divided

2 T olive oil

2 shallots, diced

2 cloves garlic, smashed (or 1 t jarred minced garlic)

1 c arborio rice

1 T dry crushed mint

1//4 t each salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 c white wine

1 lemon - zested and juiced

1/3 c grated Parmesan - plus more for garnish

1. Chop any woody ends off the bottom of your asparagus, then chop up to the tips - I cut mine on the bias.
2. Chop your shallots and garlic if using whole cloves - I used jarred minced garlic with red peppers.
3. Heat your chicken stock and keep it on the burner on low so you're not adding cold stock to your pan and constantly reducing the heat.
4. Saute the shallot and garlic in 2T of the butter and the 2T olive oil until soft.
5. Add the rice and stir until well coated in the butter and oil.
6. Stir in the salt, pepper(s), and mint, again stirring until coated.
7. Squeeze in the juice from half of your lemon, then pour in the wine, stirring often until absorbed.
8. Add a ladle of hot broth, again stirring until absorbed.
9. Repeat until you have used up most of your broth, then stir in the chopped asparagus.
10. When the last of the broth is almost fully absorbed but the risotto is still loose and creamy, remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan, reserved 1T butter, and tips.
11. Spoon into shallow bowls or plates and garnish with additional Parmesan, reserved asparagus stalks, and lemon zest. If you like it super lemony, you can give it an extra squeeze from the remaining half of your lemon.