Pour the chicken stock into a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and keep warm.

Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and sauté the asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp-tender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, transfer the asparagus to a bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining butter, shallots and garlic to the pan. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the Arborio rice and salt, sauté for another few minutes to toast the rice. Stir in the white wine and simmer until the wine has almost disappeared.

Add a ladle of the hot chicken stock to the pan and stir until almost all the liquid as disappeared again. Then, add another ladle of stock and continue to stir. Continue in this manner until the rice reaches the desired tenderness, adding one ladle of stock at a time. If you run out of stock before the rice has cooked to your satisfaction, simply continue, adding water instead of stock.

When the rice is just about tender, add the peas and return the sautéed asparagus to the pan. Cook for a minute or two to heat up the vegetables. Then remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to serving bowls and sprinkle the chopped parsley on top