Last summer Sumiko wrote about her spending parameters and mentioned that she doesn't spend more than $1 per pound for produce, which is what I typically follow as well. This doesn't mean we eat only potatoes, onions, and other cheap produce. Instead, we watch the grocery ads and buy produce when it's on sale. This week, Safeway had asparagus on sale for 97 cents per pound - within her spending parameters. While asparagus is usually well over our spending parameters, when it's on sale, we jump on it!
In a previous post, Sumiko wrote about her favorite ways to cook vegetables - sauteeing and roasting. Since we had asparagus, we decided to sautee some for a family dinner last night.
This recipe calls for lemon zest. To zest a lemon, use a microplane (recommended) or the smallest holes on a cheese grater to scrape off the yellow portion of the peel. You want to avoid getting down to the white pith, as it is bitter. Only grate over each spot once.
Sauteed Asparagus
2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 bunch asparagus
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 tsp lemon zest
4 cloves garlic, minced
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, wash asparagus and break off the cut ends of each spear. The best way to do this is to snap the end of the aspargus and it will naturally break above the tough part. Cut the spears into 2-inch pieces.
Place asparagus into oil. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon zest.
Sautee until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat.
2 comments:
I will have to try cutting asparagus into small lengths like that. What a good idea. I’m sure it makes them less stringy, but I’ve never thought of doing it before. We have about an 80 foot row of it planted out in our garden, and it should be coming up soon with the warmer weather. We like to toss ours with olive oil and roast it at 500 degrees in the oven, but the ends do always turn out a bit tough. Looking forward to trying it out in bite-sized pieces next time like yours. Thanks for the tip.
Stacey, I'll be over to help you harvest and eat that asparagus! =-) The best asparagus I've ever eaten came right off the stalk at Robbie's uncle's house. Because of that, I planed some in our garden last year, but it will still be a few years before we can harvest any. It will definitely be worth the wait!
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