• Heat the oven to 200c fan/ 220c conventional. First, prep the asparagus. Snap the very end off the asparagus to remove the woody ends. If you bend the asparagus near the base of each spear, it should naturally snap off. Then slice off the pretty speared ends, slice them in half lengthways, and set aside. Then finely slice the rest of the stalks.
• Lay the pretty speared ends on a baking tray. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss together. Then roast for around 8 minutes, until a knife goes through the spear with no resistance. It may take longer than this, as it really depends on the thickness of your asparagus. 
• Add 1 tbsp olive oil and butter to a large non-stick deep frying pan set over medium heat. Add theonion. Fry for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften. Add the garlic and sliced asparagus stalks and cook for 30 seconds before stirring in the rice. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, coating in the buttery onions and garlic. 
• Gradually add a ladle of the hot stock to the rice allowing it to bubble over a medium heat whilst stirring constantly. Once almost all of the stock has been absorbed, add another ladle and continue stirring. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked and you have a lovely creamy risotto - this should take between 18-22 minutes.
• Whilst the risotto is bubbling, cover the peas in boiling water to defrost them. Drain after a minute or two, then add to a blender. To the blender, add roughly 60ml chicken stock (take it from the pot on the hob already), mascarpone, the juice of half a lemon, 3 sprigs of mint, leaves stripped, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. You may need more than 60ml chicken stock, it will depend on your blender so just add more as needed.
• Once the risotto is ready (the rice is cooked and the stock is absorbed), add the Parmesan, butter, and the blended pea mixture. Stir well to combine. Season to taste.
• Season with the zest of ½ a lemon and some more chopped mint. Serve up into bowls and then top with the reserved asparagus spears, some more peas, a dollop of mascarpone, lemon zest and the optional parmesan crisp.

For the optional parmesan crisp:

• Whilst the risotto is bubbling, you can use the oven to make a parmesan crisp for some texture on top. Keep the oven at 200c fan/ 220c conventional. Grate a good handful of parmesan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper then add the parmesan to the tray, arranging in a circular shape around 2cm thick. Place in the oven for 3-5 minutes until golden and bubbling.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool. As it cools, it will harden and turn into a crisp. Then place on top of the risotto when serving up for some delicious texture!