Cooking Steps

• Heat the stock in a small saucepan until it comes to a low simmer.
• In a separate 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a minute or 2, until translucent. Add the Arborio rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.
• Add the white wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine.
• Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add ½ cup of hot stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in ½ cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• With the last ladle of stock, add the asparagus. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes, until the risotto has absorbed the stock but is still loose and the asparagus are just cooked through.
• Turn off the heat. Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.