Isn’t asparagus wonderful this time of year! It’s cheap and glorious and we’ve been eating a lot of it lately at my home. I have one wonderful tip for cooking veggies. It’s just about the only way I cook ANY vegetable. Roasting them in the oven. Have you tried it yet? I promise you will love it! I haven’t prepared a vegetable this way and not liked it yet. So here are some suggestions of vegetables to roast. Well first off, asparagus! But the list doesn’t end here. I’ve roasted zucchini, cauliflower, haricot vertes (slim green beans), beets both yellow and red, cabbage slices, carrots, parsnips, onions, sweet potatoes and even tomatoes. Hopefully you get the idea here. Any veggie is fantastic roasted. All you need is a cookie sheet, a little oil (I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but regular canola oil has been used in a pinch.) and salt and pepper. You can always doctor the veggies up a bit after the roasting. I put a little lemon zest on my asparagus, but chili flakes, or parmesan cheese shavings would be spectacular, as well as a little balsamic vinegar too if you’re feeling fancy:) The great thing about these roasted veggies is ththey are great hot right out of the oven, or even cold on top of a salad. Of course I’ll tell you a runny fried egg is fantastic on top as well. Enjoy something roasted this weekend. You will like it!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh asparagus (usually 2 big bundles.)
- 1-2 T. olive oil (or if you don't have that on hand use what you've got.)
- salt
- pepper
- lemon zest (opt.)
- chili flakes (opt.)
- parmesan cheese shredded (opt.)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Break off the tough ends or cut off the bottom inch or two of the asparagus. I love the thicker asparagus. My mom used to buy the thinnest asparagus she could find, but I read an article about thick asparagus in Martha Stewart once. She said that the thicker stalks were better. I decided to try it out, and I am completely hooked on fat asparagus now. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. A little oil goes a long way. You don't want to deep fry your asparagus. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus for 20- 25 minutes, until tender but still crisp. The thicker you veggie the longer it will roast. Once the veggies start to char a little on the ends I take them out. Sprinkle any of the above optional ingredients if you'd like. Lemon zest or chili flake or parmesan cheese are all fantastic on the veggies. Serve!
http://abakerswife.com/2014/05/oven-roasted-asparagus.html
Good to know on the chubby asparagus! I didn’t know what the protocol was for that, but the classy French are always seen eating chubby white ones, and they’re cultured, right?
Also, if you are pressed for time, BROIL them. No more than ten minutes close to the top. And I HAVE deep fried my asparagus when I was pretending to be gourmet and not measuring the oil. But it was still good. ;o)