How do you cook Asparagus???

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idlehunters
idlehunters Member Posts: 1,787 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1
A lady gave me a huge bag of white asparagus...some green too. I have cooked it a few times but I suck at it. I had it at a restaurant last week and I love the way they cooked it. It had a sweet taste to it....kind of like caramelized???? Ohhh..it was yummy! Anyone know how to do this. Also, do I need to use a parer on the bottom part of it?..Will that get rid of that paper taste? You know what I'm talking about? I'm game for other ways its good too if ya'll have a good recipe ya wanna throw out there. I know this stuff is good for ya and I am trying to get in as many greens as possible. I know this is not a cooking forum but it does apply to the subject matter...kinda? :-) Thanks

Jennie
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  • ketziah35
    ketziah35 Member Posts: 1,145
    #2
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    I try not to boil them or
    I try not to boil them or steam. To me it leaches the vitamins out. Cut the ends off, they are tuff. Wash drain get a long cookies put dry asparagus on them coat evenly with olive oil or pam salt you could add sliced lomond put in oven roast it only takes about 3 mins. Serve with a fish or pork. Man now I am hungry
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #3
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    ketziah35 said:

    I try not to boil them or
    I try not to boil them or steam. To me it leaches the vitamins out. Cut the ends off, they are tuff. Wash drain get a long cookies put dry asparagus on them coat evenly with olive oil or pam salt you could add sliced lomond put in oven roast it only takes about 3 mins. Serve with a fish or pork. Man now I am hungry

    Roasted
    Just made some the other night with the olive oil drizzle over them plus I'll add halved mushrooms to it. Take the middle of asparagus and the hard end and snap. Wherever it snaps off is automatically the bad part. Works everytime. Love it and usually have it two or three times a week when in season.

    Kim
  • idlehunters
    idlehunters Member Posts: 1,787 Member
    #4
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    ketziah35 said:

    I try not to boil them or
    I try not to boil them or steam. To me it leaches the vitamins out. Cut the ends off, they are tuff. Wash drain get a long cookies put dry asparagus on them coat evenly with olive oil or pam salt you could add sliced lomond put in oven roast it only takes about 3 mins. Serve with a fish or pork. Man now I am hungry

    Ketz....Kim
    LOL...hungry huh Ketz???? 3 minutes thats it??? What temp? In oven right?

    Kim.... So wherever it snaps off just throw that part away???? What an awesome trick...thanks! Hubby will love the mushroom addition...he loves those and I am learning to! I just started eating asparagas a short time ago and I am loving them more and more!

    Jennie
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #5
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    mmmmm-olive oil and roast...
    try adding balsamic vinegar (just a bit!) and sesame seeds...

    For the bigger, white asparagus, I learned from my dutch friends it's good to peel the first layer off (I know, it's tedious...but soooooo much more tender!). Then, after steaming for just a few minutes, serve it with melted butter and chopped up hard boiled eggs...mmmmm!

    Knuffels, Kathi
  • LivinginNH
    LivinginNH Member Posts: 1,456 Member
    #6
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    Hey Jennie, Have you ever

    Hey Jennie, Have you ever tried grilled asparagus? Rick is a great cook and taught me a quick way to prepare and grill asparagus - with only 1 min. prep time. While the asparagus is still wrapped in the two rubber bands, take a very sharp knife and take off three inches from the all the stalk bottoms at once to get rid of the hard ends. Remove bands and wash the asparagus in a colander, pat dry, toss with a little olive oil and Kosher salt. (I also like to sprinkle a little McCormick "Perfect Pinch Vegetable" seasoning on it). Put the grill on medium heat and grill for five minutes, turning them at least once, or until the stalks are soft to the touch (times will obviously vary depending on the grill and thickness of the stalks). Enjoy! :-)
  • annalexandria
    annalexandria Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    #7
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    I cook it two ways...
    either toss it with some olive oil, salt and pepper, roast it in the oven at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, then dress with lemon juice after it's done, or steam for about 3 minutes, dress with olive oil and lemon, s + p after. The roasting method helps to get that caramelized flavor. Another yummy cancer-fighting veggie to roast is brussels sprouts...toss 'em with olive oil and brown sugar, roast 20 minutes, then add a little balsamic vinegar. Really good!
  • idlehunters
    idlehunters Member Posts: 1,787 Member
    #8
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    annalexandria said:

    I cook it two ways...
    either toss it with some olive oil, salt and pepper, roast it in the oven at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, then dress with lemon juice after it's done, or steam for about 3 minutes, dress with olive oil and lemon, s + p after. The roasting method helps to get that caramelized flavor. Another yummy cancer-fighting veggie to roast is brussels sprouts...toss 'em with olive oil and brown sugar, roast 20 minutes, then add a little balsamic vinegar. Really good!

    MMMMM YUM
    All these sound REAL good...can't wait til tomorrow to eat some. And yes.... I am going to try the Brussel sprouts too...thanks!!!!

    Jennie
  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #9
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    Three ways
    I steam them gently, then add butter that has been seasoned with "johnny's vegetable elegance", delish. Or I soak them in a quart sized freezer bag with Safeway's Lemon Pepper marinade and then grill them, OMGosh, delish, and the third yet fattening way (the way I love them best) is to get a nice bit of oil heated in a pan, then wrap the asparagus one at a time into a egg roll wrap with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and roll them up, brush with water to seal, add to hot oil until lightly browned, put on plate to cool, then eat and eat and eat and eat, good to carry cold to work for lunch the next day. Any way, that's the three ways I cook my asparagus. Used to despise it, until I learned those ways of cooking it.
    Winter Marie
  • k1
    k1 Member Posts: 220 Member
    #10
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    In a skillet....
    Any vegetable sauteed: Put two teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Sautee to desired tenderness. Delicious. Works for all sorts of fresh vegetables.

    I also like asparagus steamed, roasted, grilled, and cooked in Asian stir fry, but the above method is so simple and good I always fall back on it for all sorts of vegetables when I don't have much time.

    I totally agree just cut it off where it will snap -- it's hard to get used to the idea of wasting that much of a good vegetable but it will ruin your enjoyment of asparagus to try and eat the hard, chewy parts.

    K1
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #11
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    k1 said:

    In a skillet....
    Any vegetable sauteed: Put two teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Sautee to desired tenderness. Delicious. Works for all sorts of fresh vegetables.

    I also like asparagus steamed, roasted, grilled, and cooked in Asian stir fry, but the above method is so simple and good I always fall back on it for all sorts of vegetables when I don't have much time.

    I totally agree just cut it off where it will snap -- it's hard to get used to the idea of wasting that much of a good vegetable but it will ruin your enjoyment of asparagus to try and eat the hard, chewy parts.

    K1

    I agree with you....
    And, you can always use the bottom pieces to make asparagus soup....yummy cold on a hot summer day!!!

    Hugs, Kathi
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #12
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    Many Ways
    Never boil any veggie! It should be illegal...
    I lightly steam them so they still have some bone to them or I grill them with olive oil and light seasoning.
    Very good when combined with zucchini, peppers, onions, or ramps...

    PS: discard any paper they may have been wrapped in, that should solve the paper taste!
  • ketziah35
    ketziah35 Member Posts: 1,145
    #13
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    ketziah35 said:

    I try not to boil them or
    I try not to boil them or steam. To me it leaches the vitamins out. Cut the ends off, they are tuff. Wash drain get a long cookies put dry asparagus on them coat evenly with olive oil or pam salt you could add sliced lomond put in oven roast it only takes about 3 mins. Serve with a fish or pork. Man now I am hungry

    That was supposed to be
    That was supposed to be lemon not lomond. I always use my blackberry and the small keyboard leads to mega typos. Sorry.
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #14
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    ketziah35 said:

    That was supposed to be
    That was supposed to be lemon not lomond. I always use my blackberry and the small keyboard leads to mega typos. Sorry.

    Blackberry
    Are you sure you didn't mean your Raspberry instead???
    ;-)
    Using an iPad often suggest words for me too...
    p
  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #15
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    Oh yes
    Absolutely, like the others said, cut off the first two to three inches from the bottom, if you cook the whole thing including the tough bottom part, you will not enjoy the asparagus.
    Winter Marie
  • claud1951
    claud1951 Member Posts: 424 Member
    #16
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    I roast mine
    I don't like my asparagus "mushy". Break off bottom. (someone taught me to hold the asparagus on both ends with your index finger and thumb and gently bend the asparagus. Where ever it breaks, that's your piece!)

    Like the other lady that wrote (before me) drizzle olive oil and kosher salt over. Lay flat on cookie sheet (I put parchment paper on it)
    Cook at 415 for 15 minutes only.

    good luck
    Claudia
  • ron50
    ron50 Member Posts: 1,723 Member
    #17
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    At the risk of offending Phil
    I put it in a dish ,just enough water to cover, dash of white wine vinegar ,pepper and salt and microwave it. The moral of the story "Don't play with your food". :) Ron.
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #18
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    idlehunters said:

    Ketz....Kim
    LOL...hungry huh Ketz???? 3 minutes thats it??? What temp? In oven right?

    Kim.... So wherever it snaps off just throw that part away???? What an awesome trick...thanks! Hubby will love the mushroom addition...he loves those and I am learning to! I just started eating asparagas a short time ago and I am loving them more and more!

    Jennie

    Snap and Toss
    Yup that is the hard end of the plant that is stringy. I'll always season it to taste before roasting though. Little garlic, season salt and/or Kosher salt. Whatever your tastebuds like. Enjoy!

    Kim :)
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #19
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    ron50 said:

    At the risk of offending Phil
    I put it in a dish ,just enough water to cover, dash of white wine vinegar ,pepper and salt and microwave it. The moral of the story "Don't play with your food". :) Ron.

    Sounds like a sound plan...
    just don't nuke them too long!
    I'm just not a fan of soggy veggies.

    Funny vinegar story. A while ago I had a small bag of potato chip and were of the Salt & Vinegar type. My youngest son was about 10 at the time and came running by and grabbed a bunch of chips not ever even thinking there were any other type of chip than regular and BBQ.
    He spit those out so fast, it was very funny!
    -p
  • ketziah35
    ketziah35 Member Posts: 1,145
    #20
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    PhillieG said:

    Blackberry
    Are you sure you didn't mean your Raspberry instead???
    ;-)
    Using an iPad often suggest words for me too...
    p

    The blackberry fits in my
    The blackberry fits in my purse.
  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    #21
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    Asparagus
    You want to either blanch or preferably steam.

    If they are small stalks then bend near end until they snap. Then cut the rest approx the same length.
    If the stalks are large run a peeler lightly from the flower down all the way around. (On large stalks the peel is a little woody tasting.)

    Have water boiling with a little salt in it.
    Place a colander above the water line and place asparagus in and cover for 4 min.
    Lightly salt, add melted butter, serve.

    Have Fun!
    mike

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