Risotto with Asparagus

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the stock in a saucepan.

2. 2

   Put olive oil and butter into a separate pan. Add the onion, garlic, and celery, and cook very slowly for about 15 minutes. Do not brown - you just want them to be soft. Turn up the heat and add the rice.

3. 3

   Fry the rice, constantly stirring, for about a minute. It will get a translucent look to it and become coated with oil. Add the wine all at once. Keep stirring until the alcohol evaporates.

4. 4

   When the wine has cooked out of the rice, add a ladle full of stock to the rice and lightly season with salt and pepper. Turn heat down to a simmer. Cook the stock down, stirring often to work the starch out of the rice. Keep adding stock and cooking down in this manner.

5. 5

   When rice is 3/4 of the way cooked, add your chopped asparagus and spears; continue adding stock and cooking down until rice is al dente and asparagus cooks, but is still firm.

6. 6

   Stir in butter and cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings.

7. 7

   Serve as soon as possible. Garnish with fresh ricotta and grated Asiago.