Asparagus & Parmesan Risotto

I've been sharing all sorts of sweet things lately and though tonight I would stick with something simple that doesn't feature 'sugar' in the list of ingredients.....how very novel! As you may know I am quite the carnivore when it comes to meal times and very rarely indulge in a meat free meal. Tonight's recipe however is in fact a vegetarian dish made up of a few core ingredients, stripped back and uncomplicated. Risotto is one of those dishes that can easily get over complicated when it comes to flavour as it is so easy to just start throwing everything in (particularly when you have a few ingredients you are trying to use up in your fridge.....guilty as charged). This recipe keeps it simple and savours the delicate flavour of asparagus, one of my all time favourite vegetables. This recipe can be adapted to suit your needs by chopping and changing a few of the ingredients. Risotto is one of my go-to comfort foods that really is worth that little extra effort of stirring and supervising!

Ingredients
400g Aborio Rice
200g Asparagus (chopped)
4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped or crushed)700ml Chicken Stock or vegetable stock (home-made or made using stock cubes)
20ml Cream
4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan
1 Onion (finely chopped) (alternatively you can use a leek)
Olive oil

Method
1. Fry the chopped onion and garlic along with a little olive for oil 2-3 minutes. Season well with salt 
    and pepper.
2. Pour the dried aborio rice into the pan and mix with the ingredients.
3. A little at a time begin to add the stock. Each time you add the stock,allow it to be absorbed by the 
   rice before adding more. When you have used up all the stock and if you feel your rice is still not 
   fully cooked you can add some water or white wine until you feel the rice is soft enough. Prepare 
   the asparagus by snapping off the 'woody' ends and then cutting the remaining sprigs into equally  
   sized pieces. Mix into the rice and allow the mixture to cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring 
   regularly. It will take approximately 15-17 minutes for the rice to cook, but the best way to judge it is 
   to continuously taste it. 
4. Remove from the heat and add the cream and parmesan and  mix into the rice. Place the lid on 
    the wok or pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes before serving

E-D's Notes
- As with any risotto if your trying to cut the saturated fat content, ditch the cream and replace it 
  with milk and half the amount of parmesan used!
- For a meatier risotto alternative, check out one of my other risotto recipes:
  Chicken Mushroom Parmesan Chorizo Risotto
- This is another dish that is perfect for next day's lunch and heats up really well in the 
   microwave at work.