Roasted Asparagus
Perfect Oven Roasted Asparagus:
Asparagus is an unusual vegetable. In Latin, Asparagus officinalis or garden asparagus belongs to in its own species of vegetable. Some thought this plant was related to the allium family, that contains garlic, onions, leeks and shallots. Others characterized this tall stout stems plant, that when left to flower, have a fern like foliage, in the lilly family. But it is it’s own genes, Asparagus. The Romans and East Indians coined this edible delight an aphrodisiac, maybe for its fowlic spear shape, or for its high diuretic properties.
When buying asparagus, try to get spears that are as close to the same thickness as possible, to help the oven roasted asparagus cook in same time frame. Fresh asparagus is also kep, as within 24 hours of cutting asparagus from the fields, it loses up to half of its nutrients.
The flavor is vibrant, distinctive, unique, well suited as a side vegetable, a puréed into a soup, served with hollandaise topped with a poached egg to added in a seasonal salad or used to make a vegan | vegetarian shawarma sandwiches, or as an entrée to highlight it’s amazing flavors.
Asparagus can be cooked many different ways, from blanching, to grilling over open flames, oven roasting to sautéed in butter or rendered fat (think bacon or duck fat), baked into a frittata… This recipe teaches you how to oven roast asparagus. If overcooked, asparagus becomes a sad greyish green and stringy mess. If cooked properly, it will be bright green, tender, succulent and enhance the whole meal. This vegetable benefits from a high heat and quick cooking time.
The oven roasting technique can be done any time of year, regardless of the outside temperature. Yet asparagus only grows during the early Spring and Summer months. This easy and quick way to roast asparagus will result in a perfectly cook, tender, while just firm roasted asparagus.
Asparagus and wine pairing is difficult. As for beer paing, it is an easier vegetable to pair with an adult beverage. With the green undertones of vegital, similar to the stem of broccoli, try pairing asparagus with a hoppy IPA. The herbaceous | citrusy | resiny flavors from the hop cones add a comparative element to the pairing, enhancing some of those vegetable like flavors often found in an American India Pale Ale (IPA), American Pale Ale (APA) or Imperial American IPA. A Belgian IPA would also work nicely, adding some unique esters from the yeast and bottle conditioning.
Makes: 1 lb. of asparagus, serving about 4 – 6 people as a side vegetable
Adapted from BeerAdvocate Magazine: Cuisine à la Bière | Jun 2013 | Issue #77
- 1 pound asparagus, fresh,
- 2-3 tablespoon oil, olive or other oil | rendered fat
- 1 teaspoon salt, kosher
- Preheat the oven to 425°F | 218°C.
- Take the asparagus and trim off the bottom, depending on the thickness, a half an inch to an inch and a half of each stalk.
- Take the prepared asparagus and transfer to a sheet tray or roasting pan
- Coat the asparagus with olive oil, seasoning with salt and toss to evenly distribute the oil.
- Arrange the asparagus, all facing the same direction (making it easier to plate at service), creating one single layer. This will also maximize the direct contact with the sheet tray. Place into the upper shelf of the oven and roast for 5 – 6 minutes; the asparagus should be bright green and slightly golden brown on the tops of the flowers. There is no need to open the door to flip or rotate the asparagus, as the heat of the hot oven will cook the vegetable on all sides.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or cool as quickly as possible and use as a side vegetable.
Roasted Asparagus Recipe Variations:
- Instead of oven roasting asparagus, trsy grilling directly over hot coals. Turn the asparagus perpendicular to the grate, to prevent the vegetable from falling into the flames.
- Substitute garlic or roasted garlic flavored olive oil instead of natural | plain oil for extra flavor and umami.
- Add lemon | orange | tangerine zest to the olive oil, to add a pop of acid.
- Use Homemade Za’atar to season the asparagus, before cooking.
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