~Asparagus Tips & recipes~

Asparagus comes in several sizes, ranging in diameter from thinner than a drinking straw to fatter than your thumb. The tiny, tender spears come from very young asparagus plants, and the fatter spears derive from older plants. The baby spears can be sautéed, or rubbed lightly with olive oil and grilled. The fatter spears will need to be trimmed and either steamed or boiled in order to be tender. The cooks of the world have been debating for ages over which is more delicious-thin asparagus or thick. While some people prefer the smaller spears for their delicacy and tenderness, others prefer the fatter ones for their more robust flavor and a meaty texture they can really sink their teeth into.

Whatever size you chose, look for firm, brightly colored stalks with tightly closed tips. Asparagus begins to lose its sweetness as soon as it's picked, so try to cook it as soon as possible after you buy it. If you do plan to store it in your refrigerator for a few days after you get it home, treat it like a bouquet of flowers: trim a small amount from the bottoms of the stalks with a sharp knife and place them in a tall glass with a little water in the bottom. Cover the top loosely with a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator. This will keep the stalks firm and crisp until you are ready to cook them.

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The way you prepare your asparagus can depend upon its size. The smallest spears will only need to have their very bottoms trimmed off before cooking. However, the bottom portions of larger asparagus spears can be chewy and woody; they will either need to be snapped off or peeled. To snap off the tough portion, simply grasp the stalk with both hands and bend the bottom portion until it breaks off. The asparagus will naturally break off at the point where the tender portion ends and the tough, stringy part begins. If you want to be less wasteful, you can peel your asparagus instead. Simply lay a stalk of asparagus flat on the countertop and strip away the tough outside layer with a vegetable peeler, beginning just below the tip and working your way towards the bottom.

Cooking times also depend upon the size of your asparagus. Tiny spears only need a minute or two in a sauté pan, but fat ones may need more than five minutes in boiling salted water before they're perfectly tender. However you choose to cook it, watch your asparagus closely so that it doesn't get overdone. The flawlessly cooked spear is easy to penetrate with a knife, but still bright green in color.

Now you're ready to welcome the springtime with an asparagus feast of your own!

Roasted Asparagus and Garlic
Provided by: Robyn Webb

"Roasted garlic and asparagus prepared in a neat packet. Preparation time: 10 minutes. (Note: you can omit the wine and decrease the garlic and oil if desired.) This recipe is from The WEBB Cooks, articles and recipes by Robyn Webb, courtesy of the American Diabetes Association."
Yields 6 servings/ serving size: 1/2 cup.


12 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups diagonally sliced asparagus
6 sprigs fresh thyme


1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 Tear off 6 large pieces of foil. Divide garlic, olive oil, wine, asparagus, and thyme and arrange them on each piece of foil. Fold over each foil packet to seal. Place the packets on a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until the asparagus is tender, but still a little crisp. Carefully open packets and serve asparagus with juices poured on top.


Makes 6 servings

Asparagus Rolantina
Submitted by: J. L.

"Tender asparagus spears are rolled in prosciutto and cheese, and topped with a crunchy breadcrumb and grated cheese crust. I recommend using pencil-thin asparagus."


1 pound fresh green asparagus spears, trimmed
4 slices Swiss cheese
5 (1/2 ounce) slices prosciutto
ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lower asparagus into the water, and cook for 1 minute, 2 minutes if the spears are thick.
3 Lay one slice of meat on a plate. Layer a slice of cheese on top of the slice of meat. Place 3 to 4 asparagus spears at one end of the cheese and meat, and sprinkle with black pepper to taste. Roll the cheese and meat up over the asparagus, and secure with a toothpick. Place asparagus rolls in a casserole dish. Once all of the asparagus rolls have been arranged in the casserole dish, pour melted butter over the entire dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
4 Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crumb mixture has formed a crust over the asparagus rolls.


Makes 4 servings

Cream of Asparagus Soup

1/4 cup margarine
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups water
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
4 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper


1 Melt butter or margarine in a heavy cooking pot. Add onions and chopped celery; saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in flour, mixing well. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Do not burn, or let it go lumpy. Add water, chicken broth, and chicken soup base; stir until smooth. Bring to a boil. Add diced potatoes and chopped asparagus. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
2 Puree soup in a food processor or blender in batches. Return to pot.
3 Stir in half and half cream, soy sauce, and black and white pepper. Bring soup just to boil. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot.


Makes 6 servings

Thank you for this effort.. I just bought some thin asparagus because I ignored the price and went for it because it just says "Spring" to me! Then I had to buy Lamb to go with it of course... will certainly try some of your recipes.

You are welcome! Can't wait for my asparagus to start coming up this year, nothing like coming home from work and cutting some for dinner that nite!
Yes, it does say 'Spring' to me too!

Apricot-Ginger Asparagus

Our Test Kitchen home economists blend apricot preserves and a few simple seasonings to dress up tender asparagus spears. This succulent side dish goes great with any entree.

1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground ginger or 1/8 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot

In a large skillet, bring 1 in. of water to a boil; place asparagus in a steamer basket over water. Cover and steam for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain and keep warm.

In a small skillet over medium heat, bring the preserves, vinegar, cinnamon and ginger to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-4 minutes or until glaze begins to thicken. Pour over asparagus. Yield: 2 servings.

Pasta Milan
Submitted by: Holly

"Delicious Gorgonzola cheese makes this creamy sauce a hit! This recipe comes from the Lombardy countryside of Italy

8 ounces penne pasta
4 ounces frozen green peas
4 ounces asparagus tips
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste


1 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, peas and asparagus to boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Drain.
2 Meanwhile, crumble cheese with the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3 In large bowl, toss pasta and vegetables with cheese mixture, stirring until the cheese has melted and the pasta is well coated with the sauce. Serve immediately.


Makes 2 servings

Fresh Asparagus and Chicken Casserole
Submitted by: Kathy Sauers

"Great in the spring when asparagus first comes in and you can get it fresh."

1 (8 ounce) package egg noodles
1 1/3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken meat
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
8 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
2 Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, or until almost tender. Drain, and rinse under cold water.
3 Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook onion for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken, red bell pepper, celery, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream and oregano.
4 Spread half of the chicken mixture into the prepared dish. Arrange asparagus over chicken, spread cooked noodles evenly over asparagus, and top with the remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
5 Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly brown.


Makes 6 servings

Zesty Marinated Asparagus
Submitted by: J. Carter Lebshier

"Tender asparagus is marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette and sprinkled with tangy lemon zest and fresh parsley. This is a quick and easy side dish."

2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch asparagus just until tender, about 1 minute. Plunge into a bowl of cold water to cool. Drain asparagus and place in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour in vinaigrette and seal bag. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, turning bag occasionally.
2 Just before serving, drain asparagus, reserving vinaigrette. Arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon zest, parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve reserved vinaigrette in a small dish on the side.


Makes 4 servings

While we were in Vegas last month we ate at MGM. They had the most wonderful salad made with asparagus, chopped green onions, mandarin orange segments, and tiny shrimp. The asparagus must have been steamed just a bit but was still crisp. It had an orange-oil dressing on it. I had to have a couple of helpings of this wonderful salad. THe asparagus was cut into bite sized pieces. As soon as I get some in the garden this spring I am going to play around and try to recreate this salad. Right now it is $2.98 a pound in our stores.

DOdy

Bump......this is great information!

Thanks for the recipes. Wild aspargus will be coming up here next month. These are nice changes.
BJ

Thanks, I love asparagus.

Brenda