Asparagus Risotto for risotto virgins

One of my favorite easy meals is Asparagus Risotto. Whenever I tell people I like to make risotto, they always seem really impressed, but it's actually really easy. It does however require a lot of time and PATIENCE -- approximately 30 minutes of standing over the stove, stirring constantly. This is the first risotto recipe I ever tried and I found it so tasty and easy that I've never really tried any others, I just switch the asparagus out for other ingredients when I feel like it. Asparagus is the best one, though (maybe because asparagus is my favorite vegetable, so I'm a little biased). Another benefit of this dish is that it's made in one pan and it makes 3-4 servings, so it can easily feed a family (or a single person for the better part of a week) with very little clean-up involved. The only complaint I've ever heard about this (from an unappreciative male, of course!) is that it's bland. Unfortunately, I was raised on fairly bland food (no offense to my mom - I wouldn't eat anything that wasn't bland when I was a kid) so I don't really know the first thing about spices and am not really sure how to liven it up. Risotto in general is supposed to be fairly mild, I think, and the creaminess that comes from the arborio rice gives it enough of a flavor for me! Also, I don't own a risotto pan, and I don't think it makes any difference if you make it a frying pan, contrary to what Carrie's snarky Russian boyfriend said on SATC.


Ingredients (3-4 servings):
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup arborio rice (special rice for making risotto that naturally gets creamy as it cooks)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 minced garlic clove (I'm usually too lazy to do this, so I toss in some garlic powder)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 bunch asparagus

Directions:
On medium heat, add olive oil and butter to pan and swirl until coated. Add pine nuts and saute for 3 minutes. Add garlic and rice and saute for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook until absorbed, about 30 seconds. Add about 3 cups of hot water and stir continuously. Simmer the rice for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. If the rice begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, add more water, 1/2 cup at a time until absorbed. You need to add more water if you can't see any liquid in the pan. Meanwhile, chop asparagus and add, continuing to stir and add more water as needed. Continue adding water and stirring until the mixture becomes creamy and the rice is tender. Add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, blend, remove from heat. Serve with remaining parmesan on top!