If you love asparagus, this will be your favorite new recipe. It’s fresh and bright and amazing. What could be better than combing the season’s most delicious vegetable with citrus, garlic and herbs? Our dear friend and fellow foodie, Pam Lightfoot Burrell served this asparagus with a crisp white, some creamy cheese and crusty bread, to start the evening off at one of her recent dinner parties. I think all the guests would agree that she could have sent us home without the sublime dinner that followed, and we would have been happy.
So the next time you are considering what to serve during cocktails, remember this dish. It is also of course the perfect side dish for any meal! Serve it with bread and plenty of extra sauce. After we ate up all the bread, we all dove in, to finish the remaining sauce with spoons. It was actually a bit embarrassing how zealously we devoured the asparagus and sauce, considering dinner was forthcoming. We justified it by convincing ourselves that an extra serving, or two, or three of veggies never hurt anyone. Bravo Pam!
Snap off the fibrous bottom part of each stalk of asparagus (it will break off naturally where it becomes tough, provided that you grasp the very bottom of the woody stalk with your fingertips).
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 3 tablespoons salt. Set up an ice bath next to the stove-top.
Drop the asparagus into the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 1–2 minutes. Remove and immediately submerge in the ice bath to cool for 5 minutes, moving the stalks frequently to be sure no hot spots remain; add more ice if necessary. This is all about retaining the beautiful green color of the asparagus.
Remove the asparagus and drain on a kitchen towel, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice, orange zest, garlic, olive oil, fresh herbs and toss gently to mix well.
Arrange the spears on a platter and pour the mixture remaining in the bowl over them. Sprinkle with the sea salt, and serve as a side dish or simply with crusty bread and a nice bottle of crisp white wine.
Chiffonade: is a cooking technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables (such as spinach and basil) are cut into long, thin strips.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs jumbo asparagus
- Zest and juice of 2 large lemons
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 T basil, cut into chiffonade
- 2 T Italian parsely, finely chopped
- 2 T mint, cut into chiffonade
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Snap off the fibrous bottom part of each stalk of asparagus (it will break off naturally where it becomes tough, provided that you grasp the very bottom of the woody stalk with your fingertips).
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 3 tablespoons salt. Set up an ice bath next to the stove-top.
- Drop the asparagus into the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 1–2 minutes. Remove and immediately submerge in the ice bath to cool for 5 minutes, moving the stalks frequently to be sure no hot spots remain; add more ice if necessary. This is all about retaining the beautiful green color of the asparagus.
- Remove the asparagus and drain on a kitchen towel, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice, orange zest, garlic, olive oil, fresh herbs and toss gently to mix well.
- Arrange the spears on a platter and pour the mixture remaining in the bowl over them. Sprinkle with the sea salt, and serve as a side dish or simply with crusty bread and a nice bottle of crisp white wine.
Notes
Adapted From | Mario Batali-Molto Italiano
Nutrition
Serving Size: 4-6Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @soffiawardy | Hashtag #soffiawardy
