Asparagus and Pancetta Risotto

Summer is here and I finally have a short break from school!  Now that I'm back in California and have some free time on my hands I look forward to spending more time in the kitchen.  Since I missed the annual Stockton Asparagus Festival I needed to get my fix of asparagus which is why I decided to make this asparagus risotto.  I tried making this last year and perfected it this year by cooking the asparagus separately and adding it in at the end as opposed to cooking it with the risotto.  Even if you don't like asparagus this risotto by itself with the pancetta is super delicious!

Ingredients:
About 12 asparagus spears
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2 shallots, chopped
3 oz Pancetta, cut into small cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
3/4 cup Parmesan, grated

Steam asparagus until tender then set aside to cool.  Once cooled, cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces.  In a medium saucepan, mix the chicken broth and water together and bring to a boil.  Once the broth is boiling, reduce heat to maintain a low simmer.  In a large skillet, combine shallots, pancetta, and olive oil, and cook over medium heat until the shallots soften but are not browned.  Add the rice and stir to coat in oil.  Add broth with a ladle just until it covers the rice and stir constantly until most of it is absorbed.  Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly, allowing the broth to be completely absorbed in between each addition.  Remove from heat once the rice is tender and creamy.  Finally, stir in the Parmesan cheese and then add the asparagus.