How to Cook Asparagusposted in Vegetables and Beans by Kathy MaisterFor dinner at home, with or without company, I like to serve asparagus. I steam the "spears" just to the point where they are tender but still have a bite to them. Then I just add a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and the asparagus is ready to serve. Buy asparagus that has nice bright green stalks and doesn't look dry or shriveled. Asparagus is sold by the bunch. There are approximately 14-18 spears of asparagus per bunch. Count on about 3 to 5 spears per serving. Make only what you are going to eat for dinner. Asparagus cooks really fast in the microwave so there is no point in making enough for leftovers. If you are not going to use it immediately, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. It should keep about 3-4 days. Preparation: Wash one bunch of asparagus under cool running water. Trim away the bottom 1/3 of the stalk. The tip of the asparagus is very tender, but the further down you go on the stalk, the tougher it gets. Peel the stalks so that they are the same width as the tip. This ensures even cooking. Lay the asparagus two to three deep in a rectangular dish. Add one Tablespoon of water. Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Leave a small vent in the corner for steam to escape. (This also helps the plastic wrap from almost shrink wrapping itself over the asparagus. When that happens it's a lot harder to remover the plastic wrap. (Be careful not to get burnt from the hot steam!) Set the microwave on high heat and cook the asparagus about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. If you want your asparagus to be more tender, cook it for another 30 seconds or so. Be sure not to overcook asparagus. Overcooked asparagus not only turns to mush, but it develops into a very unappealing shade of green. Asparagus is great served either hot or cold. If you are going to be serving it cold you need to get the cooked spears cooled off quickly or they will loose their bright green color. You can either put the hot spears in a bowl of ice water or in a colander and run cold water over the spears. Cheers! Ingredients: (Makes 3-4 servings)
If you are new to startcooking, or are a regular visitor here, please consider subscribing for free. 36 commentsJon Sacker | posted on Jan 26, 2007 For me the best sauce for asparagus has to be just some soft butter which melts into an oozing mess around the spears and then a little turn of finely ground black pepper. English asapragus is wonderful. It only has a short season, but whne it's fresh and new - it just can't be beaten. Kathy Maister | posted on Jan 31, 2007 If I’m at home I like asparagus, cold, with just salt, pepper and lemon juice. My most favorite *brunch at a restaurant* dish is Eggs Benedict with asparagus. The low calorie asparagus justifies all that hollandaise sauce! Natalie Westlake | posted on May 21, 2007 Good Day My husband and I were wondering about the stems ,it seems to be a waste to throw out and we were wondering if I cut just the bottom of them off can we eat the rest of the stem and of course the vegetable it self. Kathy Maister | posted on May 25, 2007 Hi Natalie, Yes by all means eat the stems! If they are thick I would peel them first. The stems will take a bit longer to cook than the more delicate tops. Enjoy! Mia W. | posted on Jun 21, 2007 Although it involves the same prep work, a very easy, quick, but amazingly delicious way I've found to prepare asparagus is roasting. Kathy Maister | posted on Jun 22, 2007 Hi Mia, what a great way to cook asparagus! Quick and easy and it sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing! letti | posted on Aug 1, 2007 hello! thank you for your very informative step by step guide. i'd never cooked asparagus before and so this was extremely helpful. Kathy Maister | posted on Aug 6, 2007 Hi Letti, glad to be of help! Asparagus is so good, hot or cold! Cheers! Ken | posted on Nov 9, 2007 I didn't know how to cook asparagus correctly, in the past I cooked it in salted water,...which really wasn't successful, but after reading I can microwave them for 2 1/2 minutes I thought I would try. this method. I made a Bearnaise sauce and added a small chopped onion (fried) and then a small tomato (fried),mixed them with the sauce , heated for a couple of minutes and then served over red salmon fillets and the asparagus. It was a delicious combination. Kathy Maister | posted on Nov 11, 2007 WoW! Ken you really do know your way around the kitchen! Your Bernaise sauce sounds wonderful! For those of you who do not know what a Bernaise sauce is, click here! LB | posted on Nov 22, 2007 thanks for this! helped me with a last minute request for fresh asparagus for thansgiving Natalie | posted on Nov 22, 2007 Dear Kathy
Let me Thank You Very Much For yr suggustions on the stems we now enjoy the whole veg. Kathy Maister | posted on Nov 24, 2007 LB and Natalie-I'm delighted to be of help! Years ago, my old friend Roger taught me the peeling trick with asparagus. The whole stem gets cooked evenly and there is very little waste! samantha | posted on Feb 6, 2008 I DONT LIKE HOW YOU POST COMMENTS! WHEN I TRIED PRINTING,IT GAVE ME THE COMMENTS! NO MORE COMMENTS! Rachel | posted on Feb 27, 2008 I cook it with a little bit of butter, lemon juice, and seasoned salt. It's absolutely wonderful! Kathy Maister | posted on Feb 28, 2008 I'm with you Rachel! Easy and delicious! Alessandra | posted on Mar 6, 2008 Place the cooked asparagus in a pan with butter, top with grated parmesan; add and egg to the side an fry it sunny side up. This is an italian way of serving asparagus. j.p | posted on Mar 7, 2008 I put asparagus in a plastic bag and add italian dressing..zip..shake to coat them evenly and cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Kathy Maister | posted on Mar 7, 2008 Alessandra, and j.p, these are perfect suggestions for startcooking - Thanks! j.p - What do you set the oven temperature at? j.p | posted on Mar 7, 2008 i set it to 350 usually. c6 | posted on Mar 15, 2008 I grill asparagus all the time. Toss it with olive oil and a finely-ground seasoned salt (I use Adobo with lemon). Put on a hot grill, turn after 2-3 minutes. That's it! Alan | posted on Apr 2, 2008 Seems too many ways to cook asparagus , the important thing is to add some thing to remove the bitter (a bit) .Most of the Chinese may add some oyster sauce to make it perfect. Justin | posted on Apr 28, 2008 Sounds good! I though cooking fresh asparagus was going to be more difficult. Kathy Maister | posted on Apr 28, 2008 Steaming fresh vegetables in the microwave is a really quick and healthy way to add a bit of green on your dinner plate! Maile | posted on May 14, 2008 Green Asparagus I love baked with lemon and pepper. White Asparagus I love boiled with Hollander sauces. Absolutely wonderful! enjoy Yurop | posted on May 14, 2008 Incredible how the US can mess up cooking. Asparagus is to be cooked on a stove, with the stalks tied in a bundle so they stand up on their own. You're supposed so put them in water so that the tips are not immersed in water. This prevent overcooking of the tops but assures that the bottoms are well-cooked. Somewhere in Europe they even sell a specific boiler for this purpose, with a small enough diameter so that tieing is not necessary. Enjoy and please stop eating trans fats like crazy :) Kathy Maister | posted on May 15, 2008 Yurop, Thank-you for sharing your method of cooking asparagus. Standing the asparagus up, tied or in a special pot, is just one of the many different ways you can cook asparagus. Peeling the asparagus, so that the stalk is the same thickness as the tip, ensures even cooking. If the stalks are all really thin to begin with, then it is not necessary to peel the asparagus. Hillary | posted on May 28, 2008 Another good thing to add is balsamic ving. dressing. It adds a great flavor. Kathy Maister | posted on May 29, 2008 Hillary you are so right! In fact we just did a post on How to Use Balsamic Vinegar. (Everyone should keep in mind that it has a really strong flavor so you only need a few drops!) Kirsty | posted on Jun 3, 2008 What is the best food to accompany asparagus as I've never made this before. My boyfriend suggested it with hollandaise sauce which I bought, so whats the next step please. Kathy Maister | posted on Jun 4, 2008 Hi Kirtsy, Everyone has a favorite way to serve asparagus! Will started us off with a snazzy mayo Jon - butter and black pepper I like salt and pepper and lemon juice Ken included his Bearnaise Sauce Allessandra adds shaves parmesan cheese and a fried egg Hillary likes asparagus with balsamic vinegar JP like Italian dressing C6 uses sea salt and grills the asparagus Mia broils it with oil and lemon juice Alain like asparagus with oyster sauce Maile bakes it with lemon and pepper Amy Lemaniak | posted on Jun 26, 2008 If we are going to grill the asparagus, should we blanche it first? Just lightly coat it witih olive oil when we grill it? What do you suggest? Kathy Maister | posted on Jun 28, 2008 Hi Amy, no it is not necessary to blanch asparagus before grilling it. It will cook up in no time! I have discovered you can also fry it in a pan with just a bit of oil and it come out beautifully! Jenny G | posted on Jul 9, 2008 I discovered I loved asparagus when I had it grilled and drizzled with melted butter and garlic. I began experimenting and I think I have tried almost every way mentioned here. I usually just put some oil and freshly minced garlic in a pan and cook it all in the same pan for abot 3 min. Sometimes I sprinkle fresh parm cheese, bacon, or almonds over the asparagus. My very favorite way is to wrap it in bacon and garlic and bake for 20 min. =) I love asparagus! Kathy Maister | posted on Jul 10, 2008 Jenny that sounds wonderful! Cooking the garlic is the key for me. I find raw garlic has too much of a "bite" and the garlic breath afterwards is a killer! Post a Comment2 trackbacksTrackback URL:http://startcooking.com/trackback.php?id=133
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will | posted on Jan 26, 2007
What`s your favorite sauce to pour over aparagus, Kathy ? My mom would make a mayonaise with herbs and mix the mayo with beaten eggwhites to make a kindof moussy mayo delight. Not for calorie counters !