Asparagus risotto

Got some asparagus in my CSA and thought I'd use it a new way with asparagus risotto, a recommended recipe from the newsletter!

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable broth (I had chicken on hand)
• 2 tsp. butter
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced (I used onion because Dave bought scallions instead of shallots)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (whoops, I used a whole one)
• 1/2 cup white wine (I used viognier, but they recommend pinot grigio)
• 1 cup chopped asparagus
• 1/2 cup chopped peas (I increased the asparagus and omitted the peas)
• 1/4 cup basil leaves (I substituted flat-leaf parsley)

Directions

1. Heat broth in a small saucepan or pot until simmering.  Place a lid on top and keep over low heat.
2. Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add shallot, garlic, and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and saute until onions are soft and mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes.  
3. Add rice, stir well, and toast the rice for 1 more minute.  Pour in lemon juice and wine.  Stir and cook until wine is nearly absorbed.
4. Add a ladle of the broth to the skillet, stirring constantly until broth is nearly absorbed. Repeat the process until rice is creamy and nearly tender, about 20 minutes.  (You may not need to use all of the broth.)
5. When there are approximately two ladle-fulls of broth left, add in the asparagus and cook.  Add the peas a few minutes later.  Cook until asparagus is tender and peas are heated through.  Season to taste and serve topped with chopped basil.

As I noted, I made some small alterations.  It was a really tasty risotto, and I'm glad I had nice thin CSA asparagus to make it with.  I served it with some big slices of farmers' market green peppers.  I love that summer is back in full swing!