Getting Acquainted with Asparagus

To continue with my local, fresh, and (hopefully) organic pattern...I am pleased to introduce, a perfect side veg for summer dining: The Asparagus!


Asparagus is low in calories, contains no fat or cholesterol, and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of folic acid, potassium, dietary fiber, and rutin. PLUS, (as if there could be more), it tastes yummy.

Now I know that many people might be looking at they computer with grossed out expressions. For how does one learn to love a vegetable that, ahem, makes their pee smell funny?

Well learn to love it my friends, because it so darn good for you and can be used in many ways. Today I will walk you through the basic how-to's, complete with a classic recipe: Barbecued Asparagus.

Preparation:

1. Begin by washing your asparagus like you would most vegetables (a thorough rinse in cold water) to remove any potential pesticides and/or dirt. Then, pat dry with a paper towel.

2. You probably purchased your asparagus from the grocery store where it had been sitting inch deep in water. This keeps it from drying out and wilting, but you should get rid of the ends that rested directly in the water.
To do this, hold the asparagus at the end, and about 3 inches up. Begin to slightly bend the asparagus until it snaps in a spot, probably close to the bottom. This is its natural, fool-proof, assist in making you the best chef ever. You will wow your friends with this trick if they don't cook already. (Otherwise, you might appear a little over excited about breaking asparagus...Not that I've ever experienced that. No sir.)

3. The asparagus is ready for any cooking method you wish to throw at it: steaming, bbq-ing, baking, deep frying, boiling, even microwaving.

Barbecued Lemon Thyme Asparagus:



















(The photo prior to cooking can be seen at the top of this post)

Ingredients:

depending on the size of the asparagus, approx. 5 shoots of asparagus per person (prepared as instrcted above)
a generious drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
a few sprigs of lemon thyme
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Toss already prepared asparagus spears in olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon thyme. Then place on a barbecue safe tray. (I used a disposable tinfoil-ish one that had little tiny holes in it- hence the dark spots on my asparagus, seen above.)

2. Barbecue until the asparagus is softened, and has nice char marks. The lemon thyme will probably fall off during the cooking process, but not to worry, it will still leave a light flavor.