Whatever you do, do not buy that asparagus steamer. And don't bother peeling these spears, either. My hands-down favorite (and ZERO fuss) way to cook asparagus is to run it under the broiler for a few minutes. This is all you do:
Crispy Tips Asparagus
Turn the broiler on high. Take one lb. thin asparagus and trim the ends by snapping them where they naturally break. You'll usually get 1.5 or 2 inches off the bottom. Rinse them and pat dry. Mound on a baking sheet (avoid non-stick) and coat asparagus with about 2 ts. of olive oil and a good sprinkling of kosher salt. Gently mix with your hands, then spread the spears out in a single layer. Boil for 4-6 minutes, giving the pan a good shake once or twice until tips are crisping up (but not burnt!) and spears are tender. Pile on a plate and squeeze a big wedge of lemon over them, sprinkle with a bit more salt and a shake of crushed red peppers. (My kids won't eat asparagus, anyway, so I might as well spice it up. Sigh.)
I have been known to just eat asparagus for dinner when it's in season. I could eat it like popcorn. Boiled or steamed, though, it doesn't tempt me nearly as much. I do love it stir-fried or as a cold crudite, but I'll save those praises for another day.
P.S. Last night, we had this asparagus with the End-of-Winter lentils that I wrote about earlier this week. It was our fourth night eating them, and I'm happy they're gone.
P.S.S. My sister Naomi told me that she read these blog entries to my 3-year-old niece Hannah Mae as a bedtime story last night. They snuggled up with Naomi's Blackberry. That's a niece after my own heart!
6 comments:
Hey, I made asparagus this same way last night...before your post...probably was doing it the same time you were!
Of course, you were the one that taught me this. After I broiled the asparagus (no chili flakes though...I thought about it, but knew HM wouldn't want them), and roughly chopped into segments I tossed with: bowtie pasta, olive oil, s + p, fresh lemon juice, freshly grated parm, a bit of feta, halved grape tomatoes and salted/roasted pecans. It was warmish...with the cheese making it slightly gooey, with the bits of feta, parm and nut crumbs nestling nicely in all the cracks + crevices of the tomatoes and pasta. Very satisfying.
Am I officially your biggest fan so far?!
P.S. Your pics are great!
Naomi, your asparagus pasta sounds so delicious. I'm glad you mentioned broiling it and then doing something else with it. We often think of it just as a side dish, but it's so much more.
And yes, you are my biggest fan. I love it.
No way, Sarah I'm your biggest fan!!!! I love that the 3 of us find time to write about crispy tips and crunchy bottoms. Don"t we have anything better to do? I quess it's just proof we live in the camp of those who "live to eat"
Thank heavens we don"t come from the camp of those who "eat to live, or we might be eating spongy mushy, stringy asparagus,and not even give a rip.
P.S.I can't believe I forgot to mention the pear that goes on the asparagus sandwich. It is what hit the combo out of the park, so if you try it, DON'T forget to add it, It will be the last pear I buy this season though, there is just something not quite right when you're eating pears for Easter instead of rhubarb.
You and Mama are cracking me up! All the serious details about food! Oh...finally a place to get it all out!!
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