Recipe for Risotto with asparagus, aged cheese, and pancetta.

Wash the asparagus and cut the base off by a maximum of 1 cm. Place the whole asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until tender. Refresh the asparagus in an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Drain and cut into pieces of 4 to 5 cm.

Cut the cheese into shavings. Peel and slice the onion into thin strips. Heat the broth.

In a Dutch oven or skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the rice and stir until well coated. Gradually pour in the hot broth over the rice and stir until the rice has absorbed all the broth. Repeat the process until the rice is thoroughly cooked (about 18 to 20 minutes).

Off the heat, pour in the liquid cream and add the grated cheese. Add the pieces of asparagus and mix gently. Sprinkle with cheese shavings.

In a hot pan, sauté the slices of pancetta until they are lightly browned. Arrange the slices of pancetta on the risotto. Season with pepper and salt.

To finish, enjoy with a cold spring beer. Tip: replace the asparagus with hop shoots.