you have to start somewhere

I've been thinking for a while that I need a way to share recipes and other good things that come out of my kitchen and into my life. So, the experiment with a blog begins today.

Last night I tweaked a recipe from Cooking Light and created Lemon Asparagus Risotto as follows:

Lemon and Asparagus Risotto

2 T olive oil

4 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 C arborio rice

1/2 C dry white wine (mine was the pinot grigio in the fridge)

4 C organic chicken broth

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces

juice of half a lemon (2 T)

zest of one lemon (2 tsp)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/4 C fresh grated parmesan reggiano

Prep your asparagus and steam for 5 minutes or par-boil for 3-5 minutes and immediately drain and cool the asparagus in a bowl of cold water.

Start the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and warm to simmering.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the shallots until soft (3-5 min). Stir in the garlic and saute for one minute being careful not to brown or burn the garlic. Stir in the rice to warm and coat with the oil. Stir in the white wine and continue stirring until absorbed by the rice. Keep a ladle handle and the broth simmering for the duration. Ladle simmering broth into the rice 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring constantly until absorbed by the rice mixture. It's okay to multi task a little while stirring risotto, but the more your stir the creamier your finished dish. You will be adding broth and stirring for about 25 minutes, so grab a magazine and read and stir away while you catch up. Combine your lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper and

When you have stirred in all of the broth, have a little taste and make sure the rice is nice and creamy and al dente or soft to bite. If you've neglected to stir faithfully you may need to warm a little more broth to stir in until your risotto is perfect. Combine your lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper and stir into the risotto followed by the grated parmesan and the asparagus and serve. Serves 4 as a main and up to 6 as a side dish.