Asparagus

Asparagus season has arrived … Yay! I have fond childhood memories of asparagus. Not because I liked it (total EW until I was about 27), but because my grandpa was an asparagus hunter. Oh, yes! Asparagus grows wild in these parts, and he knew of some good spots out on the old family farm that we loved to visit. Plus, he delighted in twisting words up, much to our amusement. Squash he called “squeeze,” tomatoes were “tommy toes” and asparagus was always “asper-grass.” We giggled because it was funny.

So my love of the word asparagus came long before my love for actually eating it. But once I converted – well, let’s just say I buy it 5 pounds at a time from a local asparagus farm.

Asparagus is amazingly versatile. Here’s a quick cooking chart:

  • Boil 1-3 minutes
  • Steam 2-4 minutes
  • Roast at 400°F 8-10 minutes (shake pan half-way through)
  • Saute over medium-high heat 3-5 minutes
  • Broil on high 6-8 minutes
  • Grill on medium-high heat 5-7 minutes

My two favorite ways to make it are so simple, but so delish. Indoors, I cut the asparagus into 1-2” pieces, toss it with Roasted Garlic Infused Oil and Ultimate Steak SeasoningTM and saute it over medium-high heat. If I’m feeling fancy, I stir in halved grape tomatoes at the end (just to barely warm them) and top the works with shredded parmesan cheese. It looks beautiful and tastes fantastic!

Outdoors, there’s no beating grilled asparagus. I trim the ends, pat the asparagus dry and place it in a 7×11 pan. Drizzle it with a little Roasted Garlic Infused OilAged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and season it with either Ultimate Steak Seasoning or Seasoned Salt. Let it marinate until the grill is hot, and once it’s cooked (either in a grill basket or directly on the grates), put it back in the marinating pan and toss it with any remaining vinegar/oil. Yum.

Here are a few recipes from our website that you might enjoy:

Crispy Baked Asparagus »

asparagus blog post | Tastefully Simple

Creamy Artichoke & Asparagus Beer Bread Bites »

Creamy Artichoke & Asparagus Beer Bread Bites

Asparagus Stuffed Chicken »

Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Recipe | Tastefully Simple

So order up some asparagus this week (curbside delivery!) and give it a try. The key is to keep it crisp-tender – over-cooked asparagus is mushy and *not* delicious.

Enjoy!

j*a*N*e