Asparagus Risotto

Last Friday I went to a dinner party, and because I am a vegetarian my friend needed a dish without meat. Now I love risotto, but after eating it ALL THE TIME while in Europe, I was hesitant to dive in so quickly again. However, where there is butter, there is me. The dish was surprisingly easy to make, despite the daunting directions. Plus, it requires some wine in the mix, so honestly I failed to see any down-side with at least trying it! Without further ado...the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus
3 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon butter

1/2 cup chopped shallots

1 cup rice

1/2 cup dry white wine (or 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup water)

About 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock (can substitute some of the asparagus cooking water for stock)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

(usually this would be a picture of the ingredients, but I forgot to take one)

Directions:

1)  Prepare the asparagus by breaking off discarding the tough ends (about the last inch of the spear). Cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (tips longer, base shorter). If your asparagus are especially large, cut into even smaller (bite-size) pieces.

2) Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath to shock the asparagus into a vibrant green color and to stop the cooking. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside.

3) Peel and cut the shallots into as small of pieces as you like (I usually do about 3cm)

4) In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 3 Tbsp butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent. (While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.)

5) Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.

6) Add the wine (or lemon water). Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook time is about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

(The stock may seem too much for the rice to absorb, but trust me that it will)

7) Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 teaspoon butter, and the asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

8) Enjoy!

Tips and Experiences:
*I didn't have vegetable broth and therefore used the asparagus water and it worked great :) I would actually suggest it instead since it is easier and the water won't go to waste.
*I also didn't have the wine since it had not arrived yet and so I used the lemon juice and water and again it worked out just fine
**However while we were eating, I knocked my friend's wine into the risotto dish and it definitely increased the tastiness of the food! Plus the alcohol didn't get cooked out since it happened at the table and not the stove so that was fun too.
* This dish claims to feed four, but risotto is filling so it can feed more than that.
*The dish does take about an hour total to cook, so be aware
*Lastly, this is now one of my favorite dishes, so I highly recommend it!