- 4
- 5 mins
- 13 mins
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of fresh asparagus spears
- 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste, optional
Preparation
Step 1
Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus where they bend naturally; rinse. Melt butter in a large lidded skillet over medium heat and lay whole asparagus spears in the skillet. Gently shake the pan to coat all of the spears with butter, cover, reduce to medium low and let cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, shaking the pan several times. Uncover, test for tenderness with the tip of a steak knife, season with salt and pepper, transfer to serving platter and grate fresh Parmesan cheese over the top. Serve immediately.
Total cooking time will be dependent on the size and thickness of the asparagus spears. This recipe may successfully be halved. Try garlic salt in place of kosher salt.
NOTES: Always choose fresh asparagus that is smooth in texture, bright green and firm, with tightly closed tips. To store them, I always place them standing up in a tall mug with about one inch of water in the bottom, like a bouquet of flowers. Place the produce bag loosely over the top and store in the fridge. Change the water out daily, and if you happen to not get to them right away, they will stay nice and fresh for several days and even up to a week.
You'll see some asparagus spears that are very thick and others that are very thin. This doesn't make much difference to be honest, though the very thick ones can tend to be a bit tough and will sometimes benefit from taking a vegetable peeler to them. You'll always need to trim off the woody ends because they are stringy and inedible, though they can be reserved to add to a homemade vegetable stock. If you bend the asparagus toward the bottom of the stalk, it will naturally snap where they need to be trimmed, though most of the time, I simply trim off about the bottom quarter of the stalk, then rinse them.
I prepare asparagus several different ways and like many of you, one of my favorites is oven roasted, and it's so easy too! Simply toss the trimmed asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper and lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. For the thick spears, I roast them in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender. For thinner spears reduce the temperature to 400 degrees F and they are usually done in about 8 to 10 minutes.
To grill, thread them on skewers in groupings of 5 or 6, or lay them crosswise against the oiled grates and cook over a medium high, direct heat for about 4 minutes per side, turning once, or until tender, again, adjusting for time if the spears are thin.
To steam, place the trimmed asparagus in a single layer in the top of a steamer basket that has been placed over a pot containing about an inch of boiling water. Cover and check them for tenderness at about 5 minutes, using the pointed tip of a sharp knife. Finish them with salt, pepper and melted butter, or a vinaigrette of some kind. Steaming works best with the thicker stalks of asparagus.