# Fresh Asparagus



## Digger (May 1, 2008)

*Well today here in Michigan I picked my first batch of asparagus fresh from the field. It looks incredible. So I thought how to cook it. So I got one of my big cast iron skillets out added some fresh butter my wife makes and garlic crushed and melted butter and added garlic let it cook for a minute and put the asparagus in and continued to fry for about 5 minutes. WOW was it GREAT! Just one of the early spring things I love Thought you folks would enjoy this. Michigan Asparagus is one of the best things up here to eat full of flavor. Thanks Digger*


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## sattie (May 1, 2008)

Sounds wonderful Digger!


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## Digger (May 1, 2008)

*Thanks it was great. If anyone has a recipe for Asparagus please post it I'm always looking to try new ones. Thanks Digger*


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## pdswife (May 1, 2008)

Yummmmy!  Sounds wonderful.


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## miniman (May 1, 2008)

I do very little to aspargus. Cookk it it an aspargus pan and serve it with a little salt & pepper - yum. You can roast it with olive oil, salt & pepper as well.


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## redkitty (May 1, 2008)

I'm waiting for British asparagus, its only available for about 4 weeks here.  Soooo tasty and I love it grilled!


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## pacanis (May 1, 2008)

I love creamed asparagus over toast. 
Cut it into bite sized pieces, cook it like you did with butter, add some flour and some milk when it's done and make your creamed gravy. Pour over toasted bread.


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## QSis (May 1, 2008)

Digger, do what you did, and mix it with some sort of pasta! 

Homemade butter???? Where do you live - I'm coming over!  

Lee


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## Loprraine (May 1, 2008)

The creamed asparagus sounds great!  I like to rub the spears with olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper, then grill them.  A spash of sherry vinegar is nice.


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## sparrowgrass (May 1, 2008)

Asparagus omelettes, with or without fresh mushrooms and a bit of onion.


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## kitchenelf (May 1, 2008)

Reduce some balsamic to a syrup.

Break off woody ends, toss in good olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and either grill or roast in oven.  Drizzle with balsamic.  If I roast in oven I add the balsamic before I roast.


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## sattie (May 1, 2008)

One of my favorite recipies is to blanch the asparagus in boiling water for a minute or two.  Drain, drizzle with a tiny bit of evoo and salt and pepper.  Depending on the size of the asparagus, bundle up 5 or 6 thin asparagus or 3 or 4 thick asparagus and warp with bacon.  Place on grill for several minutes turning frequently.  I love the flavor the bacon imparts on the asparagus!


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## GB (May 1, 2008)

Toss in evoo and throw on the grill. I do not cook it long. I like my asparagus to have some snap to it. I even love it raw. Sprinkle on some salt after you pull it off the grill.


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## Jeekinz (May 1, 2008)

GB said:


> Toss in evoo and throw on the grill. I do not cook it long. I like my asparagus to have some snap to it. I even love it raw. Sprinkle on some salt after you pull it off the grill.


 
I use toothpicks to make asparagus rafts and grill them.  Each raft is a serving.

Other than that, sauteed with whole garlic, evoo, red pepper flakes, S&P.  Or saute them and pour a little cream of (fill in the blank) soup for a nice side dish.


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## GB (May 1, 2008)

Jeekinz said:


> I use toothpicks to make asparagus rafts and grill them.  Each raft is a serving.


Yep that is a great way to do it. The asparagus does not fall between the grates that way and is easy to turn. I usually use skewers, but i like your toothpick idea better.


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## Calya (May 1, 2008)

I like to put asparagus on my pizza with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes. It's so yummy!


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## Jeekinz (May 1, 2008)

Calya said:


> I like to put asparagus on my pizza with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes. It's so yummy!


 
Now that sounds good.


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## *amy* (May 1, 2008)

Ahhh, fresh asparagus! Let me count the ways. Steam, blanch, roast, pan fry, stir fry, grill -- it's all good! 

Roast em with evoo, s&p, thinly sliced lemon or lime, & garlic - or toss the cooked asparagus with butter & sprinkle with lemon or lime zest. Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan, if desired.

As an appy, wrap the cooked asparagus with prosciutto or salmon & wrap with a scallion (green onion). Here's a link.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f7/t-t-asparagus-bundles-w-variations-44504.html

Another fave - cold asparagus salad. Lay the cooked asparagus spears on a platter of butter lettuce & surround with sliced tomatoes. Drizzle with evoo, s&p to taste.

Stir fried w soy sauce, & sprinkled w toasted sesame seeds.

A salad of asparagus with toasted pine nuts, mozzarella or feta or goat cheese, and grape or cherry tomatoes & balsamic.

Another fave main dish - shrimp, asparagus & pasta - w evoo/garlic butter sauce.

Make a compound butter - herbs - tarragon, basil, etc, or a citrus i.e. lemon or lime zest. Toss cooked asparagus with your compound butter.

Wrap asparagus spears in puff pastry - easy appy.


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## mittshel (May 1, 2008)

This is what I do to asparagus.  Wash, of course.  Lay on a piece of foil and sprinkle with S & P and garlic S.  A couple pats of butter on top then BBQ for 5 min.  I really prefer to drizzle with OO, but DH is not crazy about it that way.  It is deeeelicious BBQ'd.


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## Constance (May 1, 2008)

DH picked a nice mess of asparagus last week. He sautees it in a little olive oil with minced garlic and salt and pepper, then adds a pat of butter and a little chicken broth. Then the lid goes on, the heat goes down, and it steams till tender. 

You can also skip the chicken broth and add a good squeeze of lemon juice, then continue as above. 

That creamed asparagus sure sounds good. I need to have DH buy some whole milk, as we drink skim. It can be made with skim milk, but it takes longer to thicken, and I always end up adding cream cheese to make it richer.


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## Constance (May 2, 2008)

*Fried asparagus tips*

Last night when DH was frying up some morels (a gift from a VERY good friend), he also fried up some fresh asparagus tips, since we have a refrigerator full of it. They were wonderful!

Dip in beaten egg, then seasoned flour, and fry in about half an inch of canola oil. Sprinkle with a little salt as soon as they come out of the skillet. 

If you're ever in need of a good colon cleansing, try eating morels and fresh asparagus the same night.


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## archiduc (May 14, 2008)

Digger said:


> *Well today here in Michigan I picked my first batch of asparagus fresh from the field. It looks incredible. So I thought how to cook it. So I got one of my big cast iron skillets out added some fresh butter my wife makes and garlic crushed and melted butter and added garlic let it cook for a minute and put the asparagus in and continued to fry for about 5 minutes. WOW was it GREAT! Just one of the early spring things I love Thought you folks would enjoy this. Michigan Asparagus is one of the best things up here to eat full of flavor. Thanks Digger*


 
Hi Digger,
Asparagus is my favourite vegetable. Here are a few ideas for you to try:
* Asparagus soup;
* Asparagus quiche
* Asparagus boiled or griddled with sauce vierge, hollandaise sauce or sauce maltaise (ornage flavoured hollandaise);
* Asparagus boiled/steamed and drained on a cloth, serve on toast, top with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce;
* Asparagus risotto with dots of saffron or mint butter and shavings of parmesan;
* Asparagus soufle;
* Linguine with prawns and asparagus;
* Asparagus with raspberry vinaigrette.

Hope these ideas help,
Archiduc


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## MexicoKaren (May 14, 2008)

OK, Digger, after you've got your asparagus cooked in butter and garlic, lay two poached or fried eggs on top and then sprinkle with freshly shaved parmesan cheese. Oh, it's so good!!


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## jpmcgrew (May 14, 2008)

Toss asparagus in olive oil salt and pepper roast in oven at 400 to 425 degrees  about 15 -20 minutes when done sprinkle a bit of balsamic vinegar or some lemon and butter. Anyone get wild asparagus? We have it out here but I don't know where to find it.


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## archiduc (May 18, 2008)

MexicoKaren said:


> OK, Digger, after you've got your asparagus cooked in butter and garlic, lay two poached or fried eggs on top and then sprinkle with freshly shaved parmesan cheese. Oh, it's so good!!


 
Hi MexicoKaren,
Steamed asparagus plus poached eggs, not fried and topped with melted butter or Hollandaise sauce. No parmesan is required!

All the best,
Archiduc


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## MexicoKaren (May 18, 2008)

Oh, I'm sure you are right - mmmmm. Hollandaise sauce is good on anything - well, maybe not ice cream.


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## archiduc (May 18, 2008)

MexicoKaren said:


> Oh, I'm sure you are right - mmmmm. Hollandaise sauce is good on anything - well, maybe not ice cream.


 
Hi MexicoKaren,

"Hollandaise sauce is good on anything - well, maybe not ice cream."

Well, IMHO, it could be - when served with the right base. How about really ripe tomatoes, grown locally, peeled, deseeded and chopped, cooked, reduced. Cool and serve as a rich red base with basil ice cream. Top/sprinkle with torn basil leaves and decorated "on the pass" and at the last moment topped with Hollandaise.

So yes, Hollandaise sauce may/can be served in this way and  with lots of other vegetable based ices.

All the best,
Archiduc


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## MexicoKaren (May 19, 2008)

Well.......maybe. I have just been reading Mark Bittman's "minimalist" blog from the NYT while I was eating a bowl of home-made ice cream that I made from cream, milk, sugar and good Mexican vanilla. I'm not sure it gets any better than that.


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## raleonard (May 19, 2008)

I grill my Asparagus.  Cut off bottom inch, then toss in oil, garlic, salt, pepper.  Put them on two parallel skewers and place on grill.  The skewers allow easy turning.  Just grill for a couple minutes.  You can stick one with a knife in the thickest part to see if they are tender.  A drizzle of balsamic vinegar is a nice finishing touch.


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## babetoo (May 19, 2008)

mostly i cook it in the micro. i have a shallow bowl that is just perfect. oval shaped. i do place steam ends out. bout three min. with just a tiny bit of water. yum yum

babe


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## Jeff G. (May 19, 2008)

On the grill
Brush with olive oil sprinkle with coarse grnd sea salt and sesame seeds.. 

Oh pop a nice cut of meat, chicken heck.. hotdogs will work!!


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