A Recipe for Tenderness

As Nigel Slater said 'life is full of small rituals & never more so than in my kitchen.' For me, the ritual of making his lemon asparagus risotto is something I turn to over & over when I need a little tenderness. The meditative act of stirring the rice, the smell of the lemon zest, the bowl of risotto like a warm hug. It's also the perfect recipe for a  'cook & chat' with a friend over a glass of leftover wine or vermouth.

Lemon Asparagus Risotto

Ingredients
butter / oil
small onion
200g arborio rice
glass of white wine / vermouth
1 bunch asparagus
1 ltr stock (or salted water works fine)
2 lemons
parmesan / nutritional yeast

Method
Soften the finely diced onion in butter or oil. Stir in the rice, then add wine or dry vermouth. Once the liquid has absorbed reduce the heat & add a ladleful of hot stock & the chopped asparagus. Continue stirring & letting the stock absorb before adding more. When the rice is almost cooked add zest & juice of lemons plus salt & pepper to taste. Stir in parmesan or nutritional yeast & eat immediately.