Lately, I've received a lot of mail requesting recipes that take little or no preparation time - for the busy student, hard working professional, or web junkies eager to get back to surfing online. Since I've been working fairly long hours lately, I haven't been able to spend much time in the kitchen. When I do cook, it's basic but flavorful fare. This asparagus recipe is one that requires less than five minutes of preparation time and works well with most entrees (which can be prepared while the asparagus is in the oven).
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Pour about 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil per pound of asparagus onto a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil (for easy clean up - saving time after cooking and dining is important too).
Using your hands, roll the asparagus through the oil and rub them against each other until the oil coats them all. Spread the asparagus out in the sheet pan to form a single layer. Apply freshly ground black pepper and salt to the oiled asparagus.
Place the asparagus laden sheet pan into the oven and allow it to roast for 10 to 15 minutes.Roasting the asparagus until it just changes color from a medium green to a dark green will result in tender but still somewhat crisp texture. Continuing to roast until some light browning appears will provide a mushy and somewhat limp texture with a heightened flavor. Continuing to roast will dehydrate the asparagus and result in a fibrous mass in the shape of blackened asparagus.
This recipe can be doubled or quadrupled without adding additional roasting time. If you need to use more than one sheet pan, then set two racks near the 1/3 and 2/3 positions in the oven. After about 6 or 7 minutes or roasting, rotate the pans and finish.
Roasted Asparagus (serves 2)
| Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) | |||||
| 1 lb. (450 g) asparagus | clean | trim | coat | season to taste | roast 10-15 minutes |
| 1 Tbs. (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil | |||||
| Salt & pepper | |||||
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On some foil put about 1/4 of an inch of butter. (oil would work too)
Then put half-a-bundle of asparagus on there.
Drop in a chunk or 2 of garlic.
Sprinkle on some Johnny's Seasoning Salt
tightly wrap the foil up, so no juices escape
toss on the BBQ at medium heat.
It usually takes about 15 minutes for mine to be done the way I like. You get some nice soft (and cooked) chunks of garlic too.
I just learned that there is a use for the bottom discarded part of the asparagus (other than putting it into the garden compost heap). Patricia Wells, in "The Paris Cookbook", suggests making asparagus velouté out of the bottom halves of asparagus stalks, leeks, olive oil, chicken stock and seasalt. She serves the velouté in espresso cups as an appetizer.
The following is not exactly the same as Wells' recipe but the method is similar.
http://www.hub-uk.com/foodpages15/recip0726.htm
-Elizabeth
I place the asparagus, 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of water, 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of virgin olive oil and salt to taste in a Reynolds "Hot Bag" and place it on the grill. Seal the "Hot Bag" and remove after 5 or 6 minutes -- careful not to leave on the grill too long.
ANTHONY J. PATTI, Esq.
1. 500 degrees for 8 minutes works fine.
2. I always use kosher salt - I like a coarser salt on these.
3. When they're done, sprinkle on some freshly grated parmesan cheese, or, while the asparagi are cooking, fry up a tablespoon or two of capers (drain them first & pat them dry if they are coming from a jar) for about one minute in a bit of olive oil. Delicious!
Another seasoning variety for roasted asparagus is to use toasted sesame oil instead of olive oil. Grate a light amount of fresh ginger over the spears, and then drizzle the whole assembly with some low-sodium soy sauce. This is still a "busy schedule" kind of dish, but one which causes people to sit up and take notice of the unique character of the dish.
It's my favorite!
I feel that rolling the asparagus in olive oil by hand is just as effective as the ziploc bag - but after I simply wash my hands. Washing a ziploc bag is troublesome and just throwing a large one away after oiling asparagus seems like a waste.
With a spread of butter and a dash of NaCl, it is a creamy heaven.
Wei & Paula
I've got corn, olive and cheep vegie oil ready to go depending on what I'm making. Not only does it keep me clean in cases like this, I've completely done away with that horid lipid known only as "pam".
Anyway, I will normally, roll the asparagus with bacon and roast it. hehe! yummy!
Tip for grilling -- make "rafts" (think what you would do if stranded on a desert island) out of the asparagus by putting toothpicks through a couple. Two toothpicks for each raft will keep all the spears stable. A raft won't fall through the grill, and you can turn a whole bunch in one fell swoop!
I've found the results from grilling to be much better than from oven-roasting. Well, except for the time that I got caught up in that basketball game.
Mmm Mmmmmm Mmmmmmmmm :P
Fresh grated Parmasan Regiano just before plating... yum
Kawa
edit: Added chesse line
One tip-- after roasting is done, try drizzling a little dark sesame or truffle oil on top. Just a little bit goes a long way.
If you want to try out more recipes.....from a non engineering side... www.gourmettrading.net We also have a science project for white asparagus as welL!!!!
As I do not have a "proper" oven on my CAL-34 sailboat, can I make a packet for the aspargus in aluminum foil and put on the BBQ?
If so, any tips?
Thanks,
Sheila
Anchored at the Caribbean island of St. Maarten / St. Martin
Personal Sailing blog
Yacht Charter blog
You can put the asparagus directly onto the grill. Rotate/roll once and cook until the color has changed into a deeper green color.
Another goodie is to shmear goat cheese or cream cheese onto pepper quarters, or mini pepper halves, and grill until cheese has a touch of gold on edges.
Broiling both will achieve same deliciousness.[/b:a6ae778a37][/color:a6ae778a37] :P
After rolling the (2 pounds) asparagus in the oil and dusting with salt and freah ground pepper I minced 2 garlic cloves on top and rolled some more. I mixed it in as best I could and roasted at 425 deg F for 15 minutes. I turned the oven off and left it in for 2 more minutes.
On top of the stove I squeezed 1/2 small lemon over the asparagus and mixed it together with the roasted garlic. I intended to leave the last half for my wife who works late. Not a chance this tme!
I grabbed the asparagus (with clean hands) and ate it starting at the tips. I discovered that eating it this way I could easily detect when to stop at any tough ends. I had only cut off 1 inch earlier not knowing where the toughness begins. This resolved the problem of tough asparagus ends. Should I have used a fork? No way!
I'll probably never steam asparagus again. Engineers rule!
Now for who cares conversation...
I do not feel that it makes a big difference if I read 487dF. Nor do I really care if I read dC, dF. dK or dR in posts. I think the sensible thing is to use your countrie's, states's or what ever's is prevailant system.
I don't really care if we use hexidecima lor octal for assembly programming. Or KIPS or KPSI. Also I prefer linear sliderules, I only have 1 Post Versilog Bamboo, 2 Plasic and 5 circular.
I am fine with us using what ever SL or cpu or calc u want.
My COCO and Timex(Sinclair) still works. I know a little about electrinics, software, Iowa farming, being University Proffessor, and determining what is in the ground and how to identify it.
But I want to know about how to cook!
[/b:2da3dcd1eb]
I think mozerella would be the best although I'm usually quite the lazy poke and go with the kraft cheddar slices I find in the fridge. Add in only after about 5 mins if you prefer your cheese a little more 'wet' than crispy.
I've done this in the regular toaster oven too if you don't have a regular oven. Toasting time will need to be a little longer though.
The aluminium foil is a great idea too! Esp when trying to clean out crusted cheese!
- Geri
I've been wanting to try this for a long time. I've always butter-steamed and served with mayo, which was great, but oh my.
I finally did this tonight, expecting a lot of family resistance of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" variety. I got it until they tasted it, now this is all they want. I cooked one bunch, with 4 kept back to take for family dinner tomorrow. We'll be taking 3 because I had to cook another bunch.
This is just asparagus to the highest power.
BTW, I save the bottoms in a freezer bag. When I get enough, I buy another fresh bunch for the tops and cook all the bottoms in stock, blend it, strain it, mix in the tops and chopped stalks, add cream, butter, whatever...it's a wing-it recipe for cream of asparagus soup. I've even done it with soy milk and flour for vegan friends.
Another twist on this is to fix eggplant, zucchini, and peppers the same way. I like to add garlic powder to it. Very good!!! ;)