Best Ways To Cook Asparagus
April 19, 2010 by Hillbilly Housewife
Filed under Frugal Living
By Susanne Myers
www.HillbillyHousewife.com
As a frugal homemaker, I like to use fruits and vegetables that are in season as much as I can. For the last few weeks we’ve had an abundance of asparagus at out local markets. I’ve cooked it all kinds of ways and used it various reicpes from plain side dish to asparagus soup.
Today, I thought I’d share what I consider some of the best ways to cook asparagus.
Let’s start with the prep work. No matter how you cook your asparagus you want to start by giving it a good rinse, then gently pat the stalks dry.
Next I lay the whole bundle on a large cutting board and cut the bottom third of the stalks off.
You can also snap them off if you prefer. To do this hold one stalk of asparagus in your hands at a time and snap of the bottom end. It will snap off at the point where the ends start to get tough.
Now it’s time to get cooking.
1) Just Plain O’ Boil It
I fix my asparagus this way most of the time. I get out a large skillet (yes, skillet), fill it with water and bring it to a boil. I add a dash of salt or a bullion cube (we like chicken). Then I just drop the asparagus into the boiling liquid and cook it anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes depending on how soft I want them. Cooking time will also depend on how thick the stalks are.
When the asparagus is as tender as you like it, use some tongues to gently remove the stalks from the cooking liquid. I serve it plain, but you could also top it with a hollandaise sauce.
2) Grill Or Broil It
My second favorite way is to grill or broil them. Clean the asparagus as before and put the stalks into a shallow bowls. Toss with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Grill them for a few minutes on each site or spread them on a cookie sheet and heat for a few minutes on each side under a preheated broiler. Time will again depend on how soft you like your veggies to be and how thick the stalks are.
There you have it – two of the best ways to cook asparagus that really bring out the flavor in these tender and very healthy vegetables.
And now I would like to invite you to enjoy my frugal recipes on the Hillbilly Housewife website. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for my free newsletter where I share more frugal homemaking tips and recipes each week. You can sign up in the upper lefthand corner of every page on the website.
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