The first shoots of spring are out, popping up through the surface to “green up” our garden! And one of the first ones are the lovely green asparagus spears.The trouble with asparagus is not actually asparagus. The problem is that most people just don’t know how to prepare them. So to help you experiment with more veg in your life, below are the top 3 ways to make delicious asparagus in your home.
First, The Prep
The lower portion of the spears can been more fibrous and reedy than the nice crisp crunch of the top portion. So, place one hand on the end of the stalk and one on the middle and snap the asparagus.
The beauty of this method is that it snaps where the tough part of the stem meets the tender part of the stem.
This is so easy peasy! Just line up your asparagus side by side on a baking sheet and coat with a bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. You want your oven nice and hot, like between 450 and 475 F.
When I do mine, I have the top and the bottom on, and the asparagus on the middle rack. Because it’s so hot, it’s just going to crisp them up until toasty browned, and this won’t take more than 6 to 7 minutes so keep you’re eye on them. If you want to add a little magic to your spears, sprinkle some parmesan over the top before putting them in the oven. Delicious!
This is perfect when you’re using them in a salad, for example. Visually, this method turns asparagus vibrant green in the dish. Plus, this takes no time at all — to the tune of 1-2 minutes, that’s all! Just add some water to a pot or pan and bring it up to a rolling simmer. Lay the asparagus in the steamer.
If you’re like me and don’t have a steamer, I just add a little grate to the pan and lay the asparagus on that. Lid the pan and let it roll until it’s bright green and crisp-tender. Again, no more than 2 minutes. You’re going to want to stop the cooking right away, so have a bowl of ice water beside the stove, and submerge the asparagus in a large bowl of ice water as soon as they’re ready.
This method is great for mixing into warm dishes like pasta. Like roasting, you do this super quick so they get a crisp on the outside while keeping the inside fresh. Just cut the spears into ~1-inch pieces, throw some olive oil in a skillet, set that over medium-high heat, and keep them moving until done. It’s really that simple. Of course, add salt and pepper and whatever other seasonings you like.
These methods can get you started. Just keep in mind that you seriously need to play with your food, LOL. Mess around, find what you love in yours, then tinker with it more the next time!
* For oven roasting, I definitely add the Parm and sometimes a little reduced balsamic at the end.
* For sauteing, into the sautee olive oil I love adding some Mediterranean spices (oregano, rosemary, thyme) along w a little hello-bite of cayenne. This gets all those flavors infused into the oil, then once it’s added to the pasta (orzo is a great one!) that flavors the entire bowl.
