Trim asparagus by cutting or snapping off the hard and woody ends. If they are thick with a tough skin, also peel the lower part with a vegetable peeler.

Slice the asparagus in thin rounds leaving the top spear (around 4-5 cm / 2”) and slicing the top spears in half lengthwise. Keep the rounds and top parts separated.

When cooking the vegetable stock, add the halved lemon for the last 30 minutes then strain the stock and keep warm/simmering while cooking the risotto. Also taste and adjust saltiness of the stock so you don’t have to add more salt while cooking the risotto. If using pre-made vegetable stock, bring the stock to a simmer, add the lemon halves and let simmer for 30 minutes before removing them, also adjust saltiness.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan, add onions and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add another tbsp olive oil to the pan and add the rice. Toast it (without burning it) while frequently stirring for 2-4 minutes or until the grains turn translucent. Then add the sliced asparagus rounds and stir.

Add 2 ladles of the warm/simmering stock and let rice cook over medium high heat until almost all liquid has evaporated before adding another ladle of stock.

Repeat with one ladle of warm/simmering stock at a time until the rice is creamy but the core of the rice grain still is slightly hard. That’s when the risotto is done. Try to avoid stirring too much and just stir the risotto occasionally. This whole process should take around 17-19 minutes.

While the risotto is cooking heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and quickly sear the top spears of the asparagus (just until they start to brown) with some salt and freshly cracked pepper. Remove from heat and set to the side.

Remove risotto from heat and stir in butter, vegan parmesan, vegan heavy cream (if using) and lemon zest. If you want it creamier you can also add some more stock and stir.

Plate the risotto, top with the seared asparagus, vegan parmesan, freshly cracked black pepper and some more lemon zest too if you want. Serve immediately!