Help!! New to cooking Asparagus.

MsRatFink · 08-30-2011, 12:49 AM

I bought some lovely asparagus the other day and i want to cook it but I have no idea how to cook it, which parts to eat, how to make it very flavorful, etc. Every time I have eaten asparagus it has been at a restaurant.

Any tips on cooking, seasoning, trimming, etc would be VERY grateful!

Thank you!

Lovely · 08-30-2011, 01:05 AM

Mmmm.... I love asparagus.

Here's what I usually do with it.

I rinse it off. Then to prepare it I hold a single stalk sideways in both hands and bend. It snaps off the hard end part, and I keep the top yummy part. It takes like 2 minutes (not even) to "snap off" the hardest ends of the asparagus bunch one by one in order to keep the yummy, more flexible part.

I turn the oven on to 400F degrees. Put the asparagus onto a baking sheet (usually covered in tinfoil for easy cleanup). Mix two teaspoons of oil and then a dash of salt and pepper and pour that over the asparagus. Move it around a bit so the asparagus gets coated.

Pop the pan into the oven for 10 minutes. Tada! Roasted asparagus.

MsRatFink · 08-30-2011, 01:17 AM

Lovely: That sounds yummy! Would Olive Oil work ok or does it have to be vegetable oil?

Lovely · 08-30-2011, 01:18 AM

I use olive oil

DietVet · 08-30-2011, 01:45 AM

Lovely is exactly right. Break off the stalks, rinse, toss with garlic and olive oil and cook quickly at a high temperature. My fave is the grill, but the oven and a saute pan work well too. Asparagus is a real treat!

I live in an asparagus growing region and we GORGE on it here for about a month each spring. I generally eat so much during that one month that I don't even want to THINK about it for the remaining 11 months!

Another nice thing to do with asparagus is make a soup. Slice up the asparagus and saute with garlic and a little butter for a few minutes, then add chicken stock and cook through. When the asparagus is soft, puree the stuff until silky smooth and then add a jot of cream or milk. It is SO GOOD.

digitalrequiem · 08-30-2011, 08:36 AM

I love asparagus and since I've been trying to find more ways to eat it, I've been experimenting. My favorite ways to eat it on a regular basis is either roasted as mentioned above or chopped into 2 inch pieces, lightly blanched and tossed with a little bit of Garlic Expression Garlic Vinaigrette (so good!).

Try going to food blog search and typing in asparagus. It pulls up so many awesome recipes!

DezziePS · 08-30-2011, 09:14 AM

I second Lovely's method of cleaning and snapping stems and all the delicious ways of cooking it already listed- wanted to mention that sometimes I take chicken tenders and wrap them around a couple stalks of asparagus and put them in a casserole dish (you can also use chicken breasts for this, but I like a higher asparagus-to-chicken ratio), then I cover each little chicken asparagus bundle with a smear of laughing cow light and cover everything with a thick layer of sliced red onions. Cover the dish with foil, bake @400 until chicken juices run clear, take foil off for last 5 mins. so cheese can brown. YUmmm....

MsRatFink · 08-30-2011, 09:56 AM

Ok y'all are making my mouth water! All these ideas are fantastic! I love asparagus and will try them all out. I'm tired of all the everyday veggies so I am trying out new ones.

Dezzie: Thank you my dear, you have given me a dinner idea for this week!

djs06 · 08-30-2011, 10:09 AM

I do the same thing Lovely does, but I brush the oil on with a pastry brush and it comes out PERFECT (I tend to dump too much on if I drizzle for some reason. Know thyself, I suppose).

Mmm. Now I want some asparagus!

tommy · 08-30-2011, 11:20 AM

I am also a fan of roasting it - I toss it in a zip lock bag with a little soy, dash olive oil, few drops sesame oil, and a drizzle of balsamic. Marinate for a few minutes, remove and roast - grind lots of pepper over.

Sometimes I want to really taste the unique grassiness that screams springtime. Then I simmer in just a little salted water until I can easily bite through a stalk. I serve with either Dijon mustard stirred into a little yogurt or dry mustard/Dijon/Splenda/salsamic dipping sauce.

DietVet · 08-30-2011, 11:38 AM

Another AWESOME and really simple asparagus dish:

Lightly toast a nice piece of bread; steam or quickly boil the asparagus and lay atop the bread. Add a few shavings of good parmesan cheese and top the whole lot with a lightly poached egg.

SO GOOD. The egg yolk becomes the dressing for the asparagus and it all gets to be a creamy, greeny lush dish.

BunnyGirl17 · 08-30-2011, 11:44 AM

I cut the big ends off .. and marinate them in olive oil and balsamic with salt and pepper , onions and garlic .. grill them in foil

Yum !! Or you can cut them up and toss them inside a quiche or fritta .. very good! :-)

SC Vitamin C · 08-30-2011, 11:58 AM

Great ideas. I was just thinking about asparagus the other day. Thanks for the tips!

pilgrim · 08-31-2011, 02:45 AM

I snap it as Lovely describes and then steam it or throw it in a risotto, a stirfry or a pasta sauce. It cooks quite quickly - about 4 mins in a steamer or saute pan/6 mins in a risotto or pasta sauce if the spears are quite thin. If they're quite thick, I cut them in half lengthwise - they cook quicker, and I think it improves the texture.