I don’t know who first thought about digging into a pile of manure to dig up ferns. But I for one am thrilled that someone discovered asparagus. Of course my veggie-hating daughter calls them Aspara –gas. Just leaves more for me.
Asparagus is low in calories, a mild anti-inflammatory and is high in vitamins A and C.
Asparagus is a vegetable that you love or hate. For those who love these green spears let’s share the love.
First cleaning them.
My husband can just grab them and chew them raw. Without even washing them. Ick. I need them cooked, but just enough, otherwise they get stringy.
Asparagus are like women, some are tall, some are short, Some are fat some are skinny. Some are tough, others are tender.
Michigan Asparagus are grown locally and always snapped, not cut from the field. Still I think the bottoms are tough so the first thing I do is snap off the bottoms. They snap at the point where tough ends and tender begins.
Fat spears tend to have a tough skin so I use a peeler to scrape off the skin and those little buds. Thin spears are fine without a trim.
Wash them well or you might get grit in your teeth. Sloshing in a bowl of salted water works best. Then drain.
Three good ways to cook them, unless you’re like my hubby and like them raw:
Saute
Blanch
Roast
To Saute, just heat butter and/or oil in skillet. You can add flavors first by first cooking sliced shallots or minced garlic. Toss in the cleaned spears, add salt, pepper and other spices and within 5-7 minutes they will be ready to eat immediately or add to other dishes.
To Blanch: Boil heavily salted water. Slice the spears into 1 to 2 inch chunks. Add to the boiling water for just 2-3 minutes. Remove and cool immediately Best way to cool is to drop into a bowl of ice water. This method is especially good if you plan to use the spears in a salad. The trick is to dry the cooled spears before adding to the salad. If they are left wet, they’ll water down the salad and the dressing will not stick to them. Dry them on a clean (please) dish towel.
Roasting. Yum. This works in a hot oven or on the outdoors grill. Clean and place on a cookie sheet or grill pan. Pour a thin dressing of olive oil over all. Roll them around a bit so they’re all coated. (you can also add a bit of balsamic vinegar) Sprinkle with salt, pepper and other spices as desired. Roasting time can be 6-8 minutes or longer if you like them crispy and carmelized. As they cook, occasionally turn with tongs.
Once they are cooked you can add to pasta or rice dishes, salads, other vegetables, wrap in bacon or filo, the options are endless. Paula Deen has a great recipe for an asparagus sandwich.
Here’s what is for dinner tonight:
Ravioli and asparagus.
Ingredients
12 oz packaged of refrigerated or frozen (thawed) ravioli. (I am using 3 cheese ravioli)
1 lb of asparagus
2 Tablespoons of sliced onion (preferably red or shallots )
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons butter
12 oz package of sliced mushrooms
¾ cup prepared Alfredo sauce
One large tomato cut into ½ inch dice.
Garlic powder and dried oregano to taste
Pinch of dried red pepper
Grated parmesan cheese
Total time 15 minutes
For my husband this will be not quite 2 servings
For me, it’ll be 4
Boil a large pot of heavily salted water
While that cooks, prepare your asparagus, clean, trim and cut into 1 1/2inch pieces
Drop asparagus into boiling water, Cook for 3-4 minutes. Scoop spears out of water into colander. Bring water back to a boil and cook ravioli until almost done.
While the pasta cooks Saute onion and garlic in skillet and 2 Tbls olive oil When soft add asparagus spears and mushrooms. Add in butter as the mushrooms soak up the oil Cook until mushrooms are soft. Stir in alfredo sauce. Stir in diced tomato. Add seasonings and spices. Scoop ravioli from boiling water. (Reserve pasta water) Stir gently until combined. Add pasta water ¼ cup at a time until the sauce is smooth.
Remove from heat. Shred a bit of parmesan cheese and serve.
To add protein use chunks of cooked chicken, tuna or salmon.
