Skillet Asparagus

Healthy Appetite Food Meal Stalk Green Asparagus

My mom’s favorite vegetable is asparagus. Between mother’s day and her May birthday we have plenty of chances to share it with her. I was a bit tired of the usual roasted asparagus we make though so I went for something quicker.

Skillet Asparagus
Servings: 4-6
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 11-15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. fresh asparagus
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• zest from a lemon
• juice from 1/2 a lemon
• kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. You can either snap the asparagus stalks one at a time or just cut off the bottom 2″ like I do. Rinse the stalks and set aside.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Heat until the butter is melted and add the asparagus. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Toss the asparagus to coat it in butter and then cover the dish. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. Remove the cover, toss the asparagus and cook for another 2-3 minutes until tender. Transfer asparagus to a platter.
4. Turn off the heat under the skillet. Add the lemon juice to the skillet and scrap up any browned bits on the button of the skillet. Swirl the browned bits in the lemon juice and pour it over the plated asparagus. Garnish with the lemon zest and serve.

Notes:
Skinny asparagus will cook faster than the thicker ones. Choose a bunch with all similar thicknesses throughout if possible.

Tortellini with Asparagus and Peas

I had fresh tortellini, asparagus and a desire to use both up in one dish. It was rainy out, my shoes were off and I really didn’t want to put them back on to go outside to pick any of the fresh herbs we have growing hither and yon. I wasn’t in the mood for tomatoes either. The following recipe is the result and I’m pretty darn happy with how it came out. Enjoy!

Tortellini with Asparagus and Peas
Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes (plus however much longer it takes a pot of water to boil)
Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, 1/8″ dice
• 1 red pepper, julienne
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup veggie broth
• 1 Tbsp. Penzey’s Mural of Flavor spice blend (or see note)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb. fresh tortellini
• kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

1. Fill a pot with 6 quarts of cold water and set it over high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt and bring to a boil.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. When shimmering add the onions and peppers. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Stir to coat with oil and cook for 5 minutes. The veggies should be slightly softened.
3. Add the garlic, stir to incorporate and cook until fragrant; 30 seconds to a minute should do it.
4. Hopefully the pasta water is at a boil by now. If not turn off the heat under the skillet and wait until it is. When the pasta water is ready cook the tortellini per the instructions on the package. Mine took ~12 minutes, which was enough to finish the rest of the dish.
5. Add the asparagus, peas and veggie broth. Stir and cook, uncovered, for around 5 minutes.
6. Add the spice blend and heavy cream. Stir to incorporate. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until sauce has reduced. Check veggies for doneness. If you are happy with the texture then turn of the heat; if not then cook a little longer.
7. Drain the tortellini, shake off excess water and return to the large pot. Add the sauce and veggies to the large pot along with the grated cheese. Stir until sauce has coated all the pasta and the cheese if well distributed.
8. Enjoy with a bit of freshly ground black pepper (and more cheese, of course).

Notes:
If I didn’t have the Mural of Flavors spice blend I’d cry. Then I’d mix together 1 tsp. dried thyme, 1 tsp. ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp. ground coriander and the zest from a lemon or orange. Finally I’d make a trip to Penzey’s to get more of the spice blend; it is that good.

I used a ‘4 cheese tortellini’ in this dish. Anything you like will probably work fine. Well maybe not Gorgonzola and anchovies tortellini, that might be a bit strong.

Roasted Asparagus

If one were to look through my side dish section of my Recipe Index you would find numerous recipes for roasted vegetables. Over time we’ve found that many vegetables that I once thought were nasty only needed a better preparation to make them pretty darn awesome. Asparagus is certainly one of those.

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus
Servings: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes (really however long it takes your oven to preheat)
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. fresh asparagus stalks
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• zest from 1 lemon
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Rinse asparagus and shake dry. Snap root end off each spear and place on a double layer of paper towels. Cover with another layer of paper towels and pat dry.
3. Transfer dry asparagus to a bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan.
4. Place on the middle rack of the oven and cook for 5 minutes. Toss asparagus and redistribute into a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly darkened.
5. Toss with remaining oil, lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice (mind the pips). Arrange on a serving plate, sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste and serve.