Asparagus Lemon Risotto

Yeah, it's a lot of green on the plate, but this was actually a very complex and tasty risotto. The lemon, the parmesan, the asparagus and the creaminess of the rice, all played nicely against each other. It was nice to have fresh spinach again, but it was a bit tough and was really just something extra on the plate. Oh well, tastier clorophyll next time.

The original recipe is from here (but that requires some sort of registration, so here's a loose web version), but we've tweaked it ever so slightly, so here's our version.

Asparagus-Lemon Risotto

1 lb asparagus spears
3 T olive oil
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, diced
2 shallots, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup Arborio or other short-grained rice
3 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup grated parmesean
1 t freshly grated lemon zest
1 T fresh lemon juice

Trim the asparagus and divide it between two baking sheets. Leave one third whole and cut the other two thirds into two inch segments. Drizzle one tablespoon of the olive oil over the asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Bake in a 450˚ oven for 10 minutes, tossing a couple of times until crisp-tender.

Bring the stock to a low simmer and keep it there. Heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil over medium heat and add the onion. Saute until the onions are translucent and add the shallots and garlic. Saute one or two minutes more until they soften and add the rice, stirring to coat. Cook stirring for another few minutes until the rice is golden brown. Add the first cup of broth and carefuly stir it into the rice until it is almost entirely absorbed. Work more of the stock in half a cup at a time, stirring, until the rice becomes toothy but soft and the sauce creamy. Stir in the cheese, the lemon juice and zest, then stir in the cut asparagus. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately and top with the full asparagus stalks. Tastes like Spring.