Baked Risotto with Grilled Asparagus

I found this tasty recipe in the William Sonoma Catelog. Great resource for interesting dishes. They always include a certain amount of seasonal recipes in their catelog and they also have may more on their website.
What I found so wonderful about this dish is that unlike traditional risotto, which needs constant attention with stirring, this dish requires little attention and the risotto comes out perfect. Recipe follows:

3tbls. olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green portions, halved, rinsed and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves minced
1tsp. chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 half cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 1/4 cups chicken broth, warmed
1 1/2 lb. asparagus, tough ends trimmed
3tbls. cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In 3 1/2-qt. wide dutch oven over medium heat, warm 2Tbls. oil. Add leeks, cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and salt, cook 1 minute. Add rice , cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, 2-3 minutes. Add wine, cook 1 minute. stir in 3 cups broth, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.Cover, bake, stirring ounce halfway through, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 25-30 minutes.
(This is where I change the recipe alittle. I prefer to roast asparagus, as well as most veggies, in the oven until alittle carmelazation begins. This really adds to the depth of flavor of the asparagus.)
So Toss aspargus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast on baking sheet in the oven for about 8-12. minutes. Give the pan a shake halfway through to roast evenly. Remove when the asparagus is just beginning to carmelize. The asparagus will continue to cook when remvoed. So take care not to over cook. cut on a bias 2 inches in lenghths. Stir 1 1/4 cups warm broth into the risotto, stir in cheese, butter, asparagus, salt and pepper. Serves 4-6

Enjoy!!!