April is the beginning of the arrival of one our favorite vegetables - Asparagus! This wonderfully versatile vegetable comes in three sizes: Pencil, medium and mature. Look for bunches with “tight” heads with no moisture and make sure the ends are not dried or cracked which could signify a bunch past its peak. When cooking Asparagus try to do so very quickly and in this case in a very small amount of water. This recipe is super easy and just imagine that you are sautéing with water instead of fat! It’s that simple.
Needs:
2 lbs Fresh Asparagus
1 ea. Lemon cut in wedges
2.5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
TT Sea Salt
TT Fresh Black Pepper
(TT = To Taste)
Prepare Asparagus by holding the bottom of the stalk tightly between two fingers and “bending” the top down until it “snaps” at its natural breaking point. Save the ends for next weeks asparagus soup recipe ! Place in a freezer bag and freeze until needed along with any parings. No Waste here hipsters !
Take a simple peeler and gently pare the stalks to the light green below the surface, Line up all the stalks once pared and trim to uniform length
Take a standard sauté pan and put about ½ a cup of water in, place on a burner and heat to steaming/boiling
When boiling add sea salt as desired and “sauté” the asparagus very quickly to bright green.
Remove to blot on a paper or kitchen towel, and quickly turn out into serving dishes
Season with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a sprinkle of salt, a grind of pepper and a squeeze of Lemon, serve quickly with more lemon wedges if desired.
