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1
Wash asparagus and trim off woody ends. Cut asparagus into diagonal, bite sized pieces and set aside.
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2
Pour broth into a sauce pan and heat to a boil then lower heat to simmer.
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3
Finely dice onion. Zest and juce the lemon keeping the zest and juice separate.
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4
Heat 2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat in a heavy sauce pan or stock pot. Add onion and cook until soft. Do not brown onion but cook until soft and transulcent. Add Arborio rice and stir to coat the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice becomes slightly translucent. This should take a few minutes.
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5
Add the lemon zest. Using a ladle, add one ladle of warmed broth to the risotto. Stir and bring to a vigorous simmer. Don't let the rice absorb all of the broth. Continue to add a ladle of broth at a time and let the broth absorb before adding more. Stir constantly.
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6
After 10 minutes of cooking the rice, add the asparagus.
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7
Continue ladling in the broth and stirring until the rice is al dente, roughly 20-25 minutes from the addition of the first ladle of broth. When just done, add in about 1/3 of the lemon juice and 1/2 cup grated parmesan along with remaining Tablespoon of butter. Stir together and add salt, pepper and remaining lemon to taste. Garnish with parmesan shavings. Serve immediately.
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8
**Note: You may not need to use all 6 cups of broth during the cooking process.
