EMAIL THREAD

Aspargus

What's the best way to prepare it? I have never cooked it myself.

Wed. May 10, 11:57am

I like it steamed until dark green and then serve with a squirt of fresh lemon and dash of salt.

(p.s. in case you didn't know your should "snap" aspargus by hold the end of the base and then just above the middle of the stock. push outwards until it "snaps"- discard the bottom part, keep the tender top half. Don't be alarmed if a bunch comes off, it's hard and will taste stringy.)

Wednesday, May 10, 2006, 12:06 PM

Thank you , I didn't know that.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006, 12:18 PM

I place a large bunch in a ziploc bag, add 1 Tbs olive oil and sea salt and garlic powder and then 'roll' the bag in my hands until all the stalks are lightly coated (there is usually quite a bit of oil and seasoning left in the bag but it works well to coat evenly. then I pour them out onto a cooke sheet and roast at 425 for 5-8 minutes depending how thick the stalks are. If you don't coat them lightly with oil they tend to dry out in the high oven heat. They taste spectacular and are immediately ready to serve.

I also like to put asparagus into soup and if you add to the last 3 minutes while boiling pasta - it's wonderful in tons of pasta dishes and adding it to the boiling pasta makes it convenient and you don't dirty another pan to par boild the asparagus before you add it to a dish.

Asparagus stir frys 'ok', but I think it's far more tender and tasty when steamed, roasted or boiled for a few minutes. Thus if I add to a dish I'm making in the wok I prefer to boil with the rice or pasta and add it in the final stages. It's incredibly versatile and a great compliment to other veggies and chicken or ham and I use it like I would use broccoli.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006, 12:35 PM

Learn a lesson from me - NEVER EVER buy canned asparagus. I've never tasted something so mushy or disgusting before. I was almost ill after taking a bite, and I can pretty much eat anything.

I've heard (haven't tried it) that it's good with cheese, under the broiler.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006, 1:24 PM

I don't like it overcooked (like 12.06 poster said till dark green) - just a min sauteeing in a tiny bit of olive oil w/ garlic, salt and pepper does the trick. Never ever overcook - it will taste just like the poster above wrote - mushy. Also it cooks easily in microwave. Just season and cook till tender.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006, 1:47 PM

ON THE GRILL!! So good.. 2 min per side... gets super tender and sweet...

make sure you do the olive oil and salt though

Wednesday, May 10, 2006, 2:07 PM

you can trim the bottom of each stalk with a peeler, revealing the tender white part beneath the tough and fibrous skin. proceed with your favorite cooking style...

Wednesday, May 10, 2006, 3:00 PM

I'd definitely go with the roasting - delicious!

Wednesday, May 10, 2006, 4:30 PM

I throw mine on the George Foreman grill. I just break off the ends and throw it on there plain. I don't think it needs oil or anything on it. This is very tasty and couldn't be any easier to do.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006, 9:48 PM

You can also nuke them!

Rinse with water, so that a little clings to the asparagus. Put in a corning ware or glass dish with a cover. Nuke for maybe about 3-4 minutes-- enough that it gets hot, and the color changes to a bright green.

Do NOT over cook or it will lose it's flavor. I sprinkle with a little bit of salt & pepper and eat it like that!

Another thing to do is to shock the asparagus after cooking by immersing in some ice water.

Then, toss with a little balsamic vinegar & olive oil and maybe a dash of salt, pepper & garlic. Very tasty!

Thursday, May 11, 2006, 1:38 AM

Oh and frozen works pretty well, too. If you have Trader Joe's their bags of frozen Asparagus are great! ;-)

Sometimes I'll nuke some Chicken breasts in a jar of their Thai Green Curry simmer sauce until cooked. Then add a bag of frozen cut asparagus & some mushrooms or green beens, Nuke until the veggies are tender, but not discolored.

Very yummy over their Jasmine rice (You can buy that in the frozen section at TJ's too, if you don't have time to wait for a whole pot to cook up from scratch.

Although, you do need to watch the amount of the Green Curry Simmer sauce you use-- I think it's a bit high in fat due to the coconut milk in there.

Thursday, May 11, 2006, 1:42 AM

Oops, I meant to say to nuke the chicken breasts WITH (not in) a jar of their simmer sauce.

And they have chicken cutlets in frozen bags, too!

Thursday, May 11, 2006, 1:42 AM

LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!
I LIKE TO SPRAY W/ FF COOKING SPRAY OVEN 400 FOR 28 MIN. THIS MAKES THEM NICE AND CRISPY DUST W/ MRS DASH. I CAN EAT THE WHOLE BUNCH MYSELF. FOR ADDED TREAT WHEN THEY ARE FINISHED COOKING LIGHTLY SPRINKLE WITH VINAGER. KINDA LIKE FAIR FRIES. ALMOST !!!

Thursday, May 11, 2006, 7:52 PM

i used to steam asparagus but i like doing this better:

pre heat oven to 400 degrees
line a baking sheet w/ foil and wash asparagus/cutting off the ends on an angle.
arrange in a single layer on baking sheet
drizzle w/ olive oil, and salt/pepper-use hands to evenly distribute.

put in oven for 10-12 minutes-a fork will easily pierce the asparagus when done. mmmmmm sooooo good!!

Thursday, May 11, 2006, 11:09 PM

Roasted in the oven is my favorite and I HIGHLY recommend you try this method. Works great for fresh green beans as well. We have an asparagus patch in the back yard and we're getting about 3 lbs every other day from it. We've already started sharing it with neighbors otherwise we'd be green around the edges by now! :-)

Friday, May 12, 2006, 8:51 AM

MMMM!!!!

I thought I'd bump this thread up again--
I did the baking sheet thing and it was awesome!!! Also used Green Beans and Fiddlehead ferns. They were SOOOO yummy! :-)

I used some special Hawaiian red sea salt, fresh ground pepper and the olive oil. turneed it over a few times with some tongs... The salt will dissolve and coat the asparagus. THis was so awesome, I went out and got more and made extra for the next day. I think I will toss it in red wine vinegar and olive oil and eat them cold... :-)

Saturday, May 27, 2006, 2:06 AM

if anyone still wants to steam... my dh has always had great luck using a camp style coffee pot to steam them. Add a little water at the bottom and after you prepare them, stick them in and they will stand straight up and be steamed... :D Easy peasy... though I think I'd like to try the oven methods described here.

Link

Saturday, May 27, 2006, 12:25 PM

I absolutely hate asparagus -- except grilled (w/ the olive oil and salt, as mentioned above). Grilled it is sooooo gooood.

Saturday, May 27, 2006, 1:01 PM

*:51 poster, growing it: How big a bed?!

I've been wanting to put in an asparagus bed for a long time! How big is your bed? What variety? That's an amazing yield!

Saturday, May 27, 2006, 2:54 PM

I'm no cook, but this is good. I sautee garlic in pan sprayed with pam spray or measure 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil if you can afford the calories. I then add chopped half red bell pepper, asparagus and salt and pepper. I cook it on med heat for a about 5-10 minutes so that the asparagus is crunchy. If you like spice, I add crushed red pepper to the pan. Enjoy.

I recently learned that if suffer from the gout - you should avoid asparagus b/c it causes flair- ups (my husband learned this the heard way)

Wednesday, September 12, 2007, 1:55 PM

I spray it with seasoned Pam and then grillit on the Geogre Foreman Grill

Wednesday, September 12, 2007, 6:28 PM

I boil mine, and I have used George forman and in stir frys.
I love to even just have a meal of it. Mostly I boil it but you have to be so careful not to over cook. It isn't horrible but it is much better if it is firm.
I prefer the stalk to the tips. Most people like the tips. I spray it with I can't believe it's not butter spray and salt and pepper and it is just amazing.
And very low in calories.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007, 8:10 PM

hungry now- I want asparagas for supper!!!

Thursday, September 13, 2007, 8:13 AM

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