Let’s Chow!

Hello, Summer! Along with a great season comes great produce such as asparagus, at least for another couple of weeks. While our country is generally very season-agnostic when it comes to produce, I am fortunate that I was able to catch the tail end of asparagus season, which is typically April through June. I am also very thankful that I had the luxury to go to a farmer’s market on a weekday last week and pick up three  fresh bunches from Stover’s Farm in Michigan. (Yes, a weekday! Now that I have some temporary downtime, I’m maximizing each day.) For other times during the year, we can still obtain asparagus, but they will most likely come from South America. When you take into consideration the ~6,000 food miles that involves picking, packing, chilling, and shipping, eating non-seasonal food becomes slightly hard to swallow sometimes. I can’t help but think about this as I am in the middle of reading Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and it is changing (and validating) my thoughts on our food system.

I grew up eating asparagus mainly one way, which was steamed. I was okay with this method, though I had few to compare it to. Roasting came later in my life it has added a whole new dimension to my cooking discoveries, as you may have seen in my roasted carrots. Roasting truly makes any vegetable shine – even if you’re not particularly fond of vegetables!

The beauty about roasted asparagus is that goes well with so many things – chicken, pasta, red meats, chopped in salad, frittatas, and the list can go on. The toppings can be swapped with other goodies, such as roasted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts), too. Lemon zest and juice brings out a fresh and zippy flavor to roasted asparagus, which was why I opted for that this time around. After all, it’s summer.

The recipe below is more like a guideline rather than a recipe. There are really no exact measurements – it all depends on how much asparagus you pick up. Some general tips are to not over-salt or over-oil the asparagus. You’ll only want a thin coating of oil – and use olive oil because the flavor is fruity and fragrant. The result will be crisp and tender spears that will be a great addition to almost any meal.

Roasted Asparagus Recipe

Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes
Serves 3-4 side portions

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus (approximately half a pound to one pound)
• Olive oil, to drizzle (about a heaping tablespoon, plus more as needed)
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon zest and juice from half a lemon

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While oven is heating, prepare the asparagus by washing and snapping off the course ends. No knife is needed – simply bend and snap the spear ends and the course sections will naturally break where they should.
2. Lay asparagus spears in a single layer on a foil-lined or unlined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil at a perpendicular angle from the spears. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roll spears on the baking sheet until evenly coated with seasonings.
3. Roast asparagus in the oven for approximately 10 minutes (give or take 2 minutes). Halfway through, toss the spears with a spatula so that they are evenly roasted. The spears should be slightly browned and fragrant.
4. Transfer asparagus to a serving platter. Using a grater, zest half a lemon and sprinkle over roasted asparagus. Squeeze lemon juice to finish (may not need the entire half lemon – just a teaspoon or so will do wonders).

Tools

• Baking sheet
• Spatula
• Microplane grater

Selina’s Notes

• Do not overcrowd the baking sheet — if the spears do not all fit on a single layer, divide them into two baking sheets. This may apply if you have more than one pound of asparagus.
• After washing and prior to roasting, make sure the spears are dry. Damp spears will not result in a crispy roast!
• Feel free to supplement the recipe with minced garlic prior to roasting, or different types of roasted nuts as a topping upon finishing.