In addition to having a delicious taste, asparagus is rich in minerals and vitamins. Generally, cooks prefer to cook them to soften the stems as they can be leathery and woody when raw. Asparagus lends itself to different types of cooking and goes well with many ingredients, including meat, fish, potatoes, legumes and vegetables. You can serve them as an appetizer, as a side dish or even as a main course, if for example you decide to use them to prepare a savory pie.
Ingrediants
Grilled or Oven Roasted Asparagus
- 450 g of asparagus, washed and trimmed
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Yield: 4 servings
Asparagus savoury pie
- Ready-made puff pastry, thawed
- 125 g Parmesan, grated
- 125 g of fontina, diced
- 2 tablespoons of chives, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of cream
- Half a teaspoon of black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 450 g of asparagus, washed and trimmed
Yield: 6 servings
Asparagus Wrapped in Puff Pastry
- Ready-made puff pastry, thawed
- 75 g Parmesan, grated
- 24 asparagus, washed and trimmed
- 1 tablespoon of salt
Yield: 8 servings
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Roasting Asparagus in the Oven
Step 1. Preheat the oven
Turn it on to 220 ° C and let it warm up while you wash and prepare the asparagus. This recipe calls for the asparagus to be roasted and not simply cooked in the oven, so the temperature must be high and the oven already hot.
Step 2. Wash the asparagus
Put them in a tureen, cover them with water and move them with your hands to remove any residual soil from the stems. Then transfer them to a colander to drain them from the water and then place them on a clean kitchen towel and pat them gently to dry.
Step 3. Trim the stems
Line up the asparagus on the cutting board and remove the last 2-3 cm from the stems. Use a sharp knife to remove the toughest, most woody part of the asparagus before cooking. If there are a lot of asparagus, line them up on the cutting board in small groups.
Step 4. Season the asparagus
After having trimmed the stems, transfer them to a large bowl and pour over the extra virgin olive oil. Stir them with a spoon to distribute the oil evenly. If you prefer, you can use an oil other than olive oil, for example:
- Sesame oil with its characteristic nutty aftertaste;
- Sunflower oil which has a more delicate taste;
- Coconut oil which has a slightly sweet and exotic taste and is rich in properties.
Step 5. Add salt and pepper
Grind the pepper on the spot to flavor the asparagus, then add salt to taste. If you are unsure of the quantities, start with half a teaspoon of pepper and half a teaspoon of salt, then mix and taste the asparagus.
You can use a variety of other spices, herbs, or seasonings to enhance the taste of asparagus, such as garlic or onion powder, chilli, chives, thyme, rosemary, lemon juice, or soy sauce
Step 6. Transfer the asparagus to a baking sheet
Use kitchen tongs or a fork to spread them around the pan and make sure they don't overlap for an even result. You can use a metal pan or a glass or ceramic dish.
Step 7. Cook the asparagus for 15-20 minutes
Put them in the oven and let them roast slowly. After 10 minutes, turn them over with the help of a pair of tongs or a flat spatula. You will know they are ready when they have become slightly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Check if they have reached the correct consistency by piercing them with a fork or knife.
Step 8. Serve the asparagus hot or warm
Once ready, remove the pan from the oven and transfer the asparagus to a serving dish. If you want, you can sprinkle them with flakes of butter, a mixture of fresh herbs and a few drops of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. You can also add a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. You can serve them immediately to eat them hot or you can let them cool slightly and serve them lukewarm.
If there is any leftover, transfer the asparagus to an airtight container and refrigerate it for 2-3 days
Method 2 of 3: Grilling the Asparagus in the Oven
Step 1. Turn on the grill and let it heat up
Before turning on the oven, move a shelf to the highest position. Close the door, turn the grill on to high and let it heat while you prepare the asparagus for cooking. By cooking at a short distance from the upper coil of the oven, the asparagus will acquire a toasted appearance and taste.
Step 2. Wash the asparagus and trim the stems
Put them in a bowl full of water and move them gently with your hands to make sure that any residues of earth come off the stems. Immediately after, drain the asparagus by pouring them into a colander and then pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel. Transfer them to the cutting board, line them up with each other and remove the last 2-3 cm from the stems using a sharp knife.
Step 3. Season the asparagus
Put them in a large bowl, which allows you to mix them easily, then add the extra virgin olive oil pouring it slowly. Also add salt, pepper, and any herbs or spices of your choice.
If you prefer you can use a different oil, as long as it has a high smoke point like the extra virgin olive oil. For example, you can use sesame, peanut, sunflower or avocado
Step 4. Arrange the asparagus on the baking sheet
You can transfer them from the bowl to the pan using kitchen tongs if you don't want to grease your hands. Distribute them in a single uniform layer to obtain a homogeneous result.
You can line the pan with foil, parchment paper or a silicone mat so you won't have difficulty washing it after cooking
Step 5. Grill the asparagus for 4-8 minutes
Place the pan on the top shelf of the oven and let the asparagus cook for at least 4 minutes. They need to be roasted on the outside and soft on the inside while maintaining their firm texture.
Step 6. Serve the asparagus hot as a side dish
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the asparagus to a serving dish or individual plates. Use kitchen tongs, not your hands, as they will be hot. Eat them hot as a side dish in combination with your favorite dishes.
- If you want, you can add more oil, a splash of red wine vinegar or flakes of butter.
- If the asparagus is left over, you can transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Method 3 of 3: Other Recipes with Asparagus
Step 1. Make a quiche with asparagus
Pour and mix the cheeses, eggs, cream, chives and pepper into a large bowl. Bake the base of the savory pie in the oven following the instructions on the puff pastry package. Once cooked, add the filling, carefully arrange the asparagus on top and complete the preparation with a drizzle of oil. Bake the quiche in the hot oven for 25 minutes at 200 ° C.
Serve the quiche at brunch, accompanied by a mixed salad prepared with seasonal vegetables
Step 2. Wrap the asparagus with the puff pastry
Cut the puff pastry into strips 5 cm wide and 15 cm long. Spread half a tablespoon of cheese on each strip of dough. Add an asparagus vertically and then wrap the pastry around it. Wet the edges of the dough with your fingers to seal it. Sprinkle the puff pastry with salt and then line the asparagus in the pan. You will need to cook them in the hot oven for about 15-18 minutes at 200 ° C.
Serve the asparagus as an appetizer or side dish
Step 3. Make an asparagus pie
Pasticcio is a versatile and tasty dish that you can customize to taste using the vegetables and cheeses of your choice. Wash the asparagus, trim the stems to remove the ends which are generally the most leathery and woody part and then cut them into pieces about a couple of centimeters long. Cook the asparagus in the oven with the other vegetables before adding them to the mixture of beaten eggs, cream, and cheese.
- Season the egg, cream, and cheese mixture with salt, pepper, and other spices or herbs to taste.
- Serve the pie during Sunday brunch.
