Asparagus is one of my all-time favorite foods, and now, while it only costs around $1 per pound, I am hard pressed to not pick up a bunch whenever I’m at the market.
So, to keep Rich from turning green and more than a little stalk-y hisself, I need to keep finding new ways to prepare it.
Like this recipe, adapted from one posted to AllRecipes.com, which is devastatingly simple to toss together, but oh, so very, very tasty.
INGREDIENTS
•1 bunch fresh asparagus
•Olive oil
•Sea salt
•Aleppo pepper
•Black pepper
•2 tbsp butter
•1 tbsp soy sauce
•1 tsp balsamic vinegar*
•Shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese
*All balsamic vinegars are not created equal; my preferred version is one aged for 25 years that I buy from The Oilerie for around $20 per bottle. Not cheap, but one taste and you’ll know it’s worth it.
Warm oven to 400º.
Cut about an inch from the bottom of each stalk of asparagus and then, if you like, peel them. Rich thinks they taste better that way, so I run the peeler down one side of each stalk, then flip it and do the opposite side.
Arrange the asparagus in a foil-lined, rimmed baking pan, then season with the sea salt, Aleppo, and black peppers. Drizzle with some olive oil, then toss to coat and pop into the oven for ten minutes or so, until the asparagus is tender.
Belt the butter in a small dish, then whisk in the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar.
Once the asparagus is roasted, remove from the oven, drizzle with the balsamic butter and a bit of the shredded cheese, then toss and let rest a few minutes for the cheese to melt a bit.
Nice asparagus, and a very nice little sauce.
We had ours with some scallops picked up at our local fishmonger/barbecue joint and thought ourselves quite well-served.
Rich didn’t even mind having asparagus, again.