Creamy Lemon Risotto with Asparagus

This recipe comes from the Williams Sonoma Taste Blog.  My Hubbers loves risotto, we both love asparagus and lemon, so it quickly went to the top of the "things I want to make" list.

It's a great risotto, one I will make again. I'm hoping the next time I make it things will go smoother.  If it could go wrong, making this dish, it did! We are leaving for the race track in the morning.  Our motorhome and my race car are parked in front of our house. I am taking items from home and transferring them to the RV, in our above-normal 90-plus degree weather! I had to pick my granddaughter up from school, feed her a snack, and take her to gymnastics. In the meantime, a floor installer stopped by to measure the RV as we are going to replace some of the carpet with laminate wood flooring. This was probably not the night to try a new recipe!  I didn't have shallots, though I could swear I bought some (did they stay in the grocery cart?)  I ended up adding a little garlic and onion salt to compensate. When it came time to put the wine in, I accidentally put the lemon juice in instead, even though I hadn't gotten the seeds out of the juice yet. So, the wine got added in later! I didn't have as much cream as the recipe called for. You would think I was a beginner in the kitchen!  But, it's obviously a very forgiving recipe; it has a nice lemon flavor and the cream gives the risotto an extra creaminess. It's a light and fresh-tasting spring risotto.

Creamy Lemon Risotto with Asparagus

1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 cups Arborio rice
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 cups chicken broth, heated to a simmer
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the asparagus and 2 tablespoons water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave on high until the spears are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, place the asparagus in a steamer basket and set over a saucepan of simmering water. Cover and steam until the spears are tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut into 1-inch pieces and set aside.

In a large, heavy saute´pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. When the butter has melted, add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme sprigs and cook until the shallot is softened and translucent, about 3 minutes longer.

Add the rice and 1 teaspoon salt to the pan, stirring to coat the grains of rice with the butter and oil.  Raise the heat to medium-high, pour in the wine and stir until absorbed. Reduce the heat to medium and add a ladleful of hot broth.  Cook, stirring often, until the broth is absorbed. Reduce the heat to medium-low if necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Continue to cook the risotto, adding the broth a ladleful at a time and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender but still pleasantly chewy, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the reserved asparagus, lemon zest, cream, and cheese. Then stir in the lemon juice and a final ladleful of broth to achieve a creamy texture. The risotto should not be too stiff or too runny; it should mound softly on a spoon.  Sprinkle with the parsley, season with pepper and serve immediately.

Making risotto isn't difficult but it does require some patience as you continually add broth, stir until it's absorbed, and add some more until you get a creamy mixture.