Asparagus

[Caribeing]

I have noticed in quite a lot of cookery shows etc that they have used asparagus, I have bought some frozen stuff from M&S and cooked it according to instructions, boil for 5 to 6 minutes, it was still stringy and hard, does anyone like asparagus! How can I enjoy it before I dismiss it completely

[puddicat]

sorry mary its awful and makes you pee green!

[dzug]

Sounds rather a short cooking time to me, particularly if it's from frozen. I tend to cook the fresh stuff for around 10 minutes.

Depends how you like it cooked, I suppose. Experiment with doing it a little longer.

[Gormless]

Asparagus is lovely, but I only buy it tinned, because of the toughness you mention, and in a proportion of people can really make the pee whiff!

[Caribeing]

Thanks Puddicat! I love all veggies but this one has me beaten!! The green "pee" sounds like a spin off from it!

[bensmum]

I love asparagus but it needs cooking longer than that. Just cook it for longer and keep testing it until it has softened enough. Lovely with lots of butter

[Jugglering]

I love asparagus but it does have quite a distinctive, albeit delicate, taste and as Puddicat mentions, certain *ahem* tendencies...lol

I would not cook it for that long - just drop into boiling water (straight from the freezer) for about 3 minutes. I can only imagine that your spears were tough to start with, nought you can do about that... the thicker the spear, generally the softer they are. I put mine either in a quiche with a cream cheese and egg mix or serve them up simply boiled with butter and black pepper.

You could saut� chunks of the spears along with some onions and celery and then add some stock and cook until all the veg are soft.. Whizz through a blender or food processor to make a refreshing soup (I'd probably leave some of the veg chunks un-processed for extra texture).

[Jugglering]

The 3 mins I am referring to is for those really fine spears.

[CJ242]

I recommend this recipe

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/gri lledasparaguswith_86532.shtml

[stewey]

Cut off the 'woody' parts of the stems (about half an inch or so), and steam gently until desired tenderness is achieved. Please don't boil it:)!!

[dr b]

I second CJ242's suggestion of grilling it (or baking it in the oven if a grill or grill pan is not handy). This really brings out the sugars and it tastes much better than steamed or boiled. google 'grilled asparagus' for many recipes.

[pastafreak]

To get rid of the woody bits...don't cut them off. Instead-take several spears at a time,hold one end in each hand,....and just snap apart. They will naturally break where the spear becomes tender.
I agree with juggerling....use only fresh,and cook for a MINIMUM amount of time.......I even eat raw...lovely!!

Oh--and don't forget the butter

[terambulan]

Only buy asparagus that snaps clean, not the bendy piles. Boil in enuf water to just cover the veg and prod with fork to test for softness. Drain, serve hot with ooooodles of butter & ground pepper - burn your lips ;) Only cook when alone - don't have to share!

[Caribeing]

Thanks for all the asparagus "tips" ! Will try them as I still have another bag from M&S{Got them on a 2 for 1 offer!!

[Cathyhuns]

You can also peel the stringy bits off the end. When using a peeler you can feel where it starts to get stringy.