Cooking Asparagus

[hammerman]

I am disgusted to say that ive never eaten asparagus in my 46 years on the planet.

So i bought a bunch yesterday as they were on offer in Tescos.

So what do i do with them ? Someone said don't boil or steam them as it takes a lot of the flavour away and another suggestion was to griddle them or wrap in parma ham and cook.

So, over to the good people of AB

[naomi24]

I gently fry asparagus for a few minutes in a little butter.

[BlueToffee]

I steam them and smother them with butter, yum yum.

But be warned, your wee will smell after you've eaten them!

[FredPuli43]

Steam for 4-5 minutes or boil, but not a fierce boil, for 3-4 minutes until tender. The traditional way of boiling them is to have a deep pan and stand the whole spears upright in the water and then put the lid on, the point being to avoid damaging the tips. If they don't fit, just cut a bit off the blunt ends (blunt ends; trained at The Savoy, me) Serve with hollandaise sauce or melted butter

[society]

I saute asparagus in a bit of olive oil, season with black pepper and salt, and add a squeeze of lemon juice after the heat is turned off.

Sometimes I season them with black pepper, salt and lemon zest and roast them in the oven.

Or I serve asparagus raw. They are good in salads, and you could also serve them accompanied with a dip.

Don't over cook them or allow them to get too soft and mushy. They should have a crunch or a bit of 'bite' after cooking.

[naomi24]

Society, 'saute' - that's the word I was looking for! I knew when I typed it I didn't mean 'fry'. (I hate cooking). :o)

[RATTER15]

"I am disgusted to say that ive never eaten asparagus in my 46 years on the planet." and so you should be!!

I love asparagus, especially with Parma ham, or any other ham come to that, dont have it with any strong flavours or you will miss out!

I fancy some for breakfast now!!

[DTCwordfan]

they're good with scrambled eggs too.....

or served with an aioli......lots of cracked black pepper over them too.

I do them all three ways depending on the dish - as mentioned undercook rather than overcook. Also one more tip, discard the woody bottom bit (or bang those into making a veg stock if you make stocks). To do this lightly bend the spear until it snaps, (at the joint of the woody bottom half and fleshy upper).

[society]

Hi Naomi :)

I love roasted asparagus in sandwiches also. Layer asparagus on bread, then add a layer of cheese (I like extra sharp cheddar) and put under the grill for a bit until cheese is melted, or use a panini maker to 'grill' sandwich. Delicious!

[naomi24]

Thanks Society, I might get my husband to make it. ;o)

[AlwaysConfused]

the possibilities are endless, and bloody hell, most are great. try this site for a few recipes:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/04/asparagus-recipes-spring-salads-soups-vegetarian-roasted-braised.html

[rockyracoon]

I put olive oil on them and then griddle til the just start catching then put salt and lemon juice over, heaven.

[Clanad]

Regardless of how you cook them ( prefer steamed... maybe 3 to 5 minutes... still firm) to serve as a stand-alone side, lay them in shallow dish and cover with Japanese Rice Vinegar...

[Canary42]

46 years of gastronomic deprivation to make up for: Enjoy, hammerman :)

[hammerman]

Lol canary.

Thanks all....will steam half tomorrow morning and serve with scrambled egg and bacon. the other half i shall try on a griddle

[snags]

''the other half i shall try on a griddle''

Will she fit?

[society]

Hammerman, you could make a frittata instead of scrambled eggs and add some asparagus to it. Closer to the tips are more tender so they would cook quickly.

[bednobs]

i did a really nice new potato, asparagus and hollandaise sauce the other day - boil pots, and put asparagus in for the last 3 mins Drain and mix with the hollandaise, grate cheese over, put under grill

[rsvp]

oh my goodness - steam them for a few minutes then drench them in butter - HOWEVER - it all depends on how long the spears have been cut and in supermarket ones it's too long so they will not taste as good as freshly cut spears - either way the are delicious and don't worry about the 'smelly pee' - it goes away.