Serve: 8

Ingredients

8 cups chicken broth
1 cup of dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups Arborio rice
16 spears of asparagus end cut and he rest cut in 1 inch pieces
½ onions diced fine
4 cloves of garlic chopped

1 cup of shredded smoked chicken
½ of cup of fire roasted tomatoes run through a food mill or pureed
1 cup of loose leaf of basil shredded

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

In a saucepan, bring chicken broth to a simmer. Set aside & keep warm over low heat.

In a large sautée pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add butter wait 1 minute and add onion first then garlic and sautée for 2 minutes and then add rice and cook for 3 minutes, stirring to coat each grain.

When rice begins to make a crackling sound, add wine. Once wine evaporates completely. Add 1 cup of the warm chicken broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. After the 3rd addition, add the asparagus, chicken, and the fire-roasted tomato Test the rice for doneness, add more broth and the basil, let cook stirring constantly.

The stirring is a crucial step of risotto making because when the grain of rice is releasing its starch, it is adhering to the grain. By stirring it you will loosen it and allow it to join the broth. Hence create a creamy risotto. By now your risotto should be somewhat al dente but creamy. If done Remove risotto from heat, add grated cheese, salt and pepper. Let rest for 1 minute serve in each plate drizzle with Olive oil if you wish and enjoy.