A simple recipe for perfect sauteed asparagus with garlic and olive oil that's ready in minutes.
I grew up with a basic formula for the proper supper: 1 meat + 1-2 green vegetables or salad + 1 starch (rice, potatoes or pasta) = supper.
This “formula” is ingrained in my DNA and it is almost painful for me to serve supper without something green on the table. Even if it’s just a can of green beans.
I supposed this isn’t a bad habit, but it can be challenging at times to do when we’re all going 90-mph likes chickens with our heads cut off at supper time.
One green vegetable I serve almost every week is asparagus. If I already have the oven on, I’ll just roast it with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper on a sheet pan. If not, I saute it like this!
And this asparagus only takes a few minutes to prepare so it’s a great veggie to cook when your time is limited.
HOW TO STORE FRESH ASPARAGUS
- Place asparagus in a wide glass, coffee cup or small bowl (whatever you have that will work) standing up so the fibrous ends are at the bottom. Most asparagus is sold in bunches held together with rubber bands which makes this super easy.
- Add two inches of water to the glass.
- Cover asparagus loosely with plastic (such as the produce bag it came in, plastic wrap, a zip-top bag or even a grocery bag) then store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Quick & Easy Asparagus
Yield: 4 Servings
prep time: 5 Mcook time: 5 Mtotal time: 10 M
A simple recipe for perfect sauteed asparagus with garlic and olive oil that's ready in minutes.
ingredients:
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- Coarse grain salt
instructions:
How to cook Quick & Easy Asparagus
- Peel garlic then smash with a chef’s knife or spatula so that the cloves burst open but mostly stay intact. Heat and stir olive oil and garlic in a medium skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant and just starting to brown (about 2-4 minutes). Remove garlic from oil. We do this to infuse the oil with the garlic without worrying about the garlic overcooking and becoming bitter. Remove garlic and discard.
- Cut the fibrous ends off of the asparagus. I pick one piece up and see where the end naturally snaps off when I bend it then use it as sort of a template to know how much to cut off of the other pieces.
- Saute the asparagus with salt to taste in the garlic-infused olive oil for 3-5 minutes or until tender-crisp.
NOTES:
If you enjoy softer, more tender asparagus more than tender-crisp, simply cover the pan with a lid for a few minutes.
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Sounds good! I like the idea of the added garlic flavor. To be honest, I just wash and trim my asparagus and lay it in a glass pie plate with about a tablespoon of water in the bottom. Cover it with plastic wrap and nuke it on high for two or three minutes (Cook it longer if you like your asparagus softer.) If I'm planning to use it cold--say in a veggie tray--I'll blanch it in cold water and ice to keep the color vibrant. If I'm planning to use it hot it gets served.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really nice and simple recipe. I normally steam my asparagus. But when I want to up the ante, this is it. Ever thought of trying this with bacon? I slowly render 4-5 bacon strips that have been diced. When that’s almost done, I add about 1/3 c. of diced onion to the pan. Meanwhile I blanch the asparagus for 2-3 min., then into an ice bath. I cut the asparagus into 1 in. pieces and then add them back into the pan to finish them off. It’s pretty good. But then-again, bacon makes everything taste good.
ReplyDeleteI am going to try this one! I usually steam and then add lime juice, butter and salt. Also cook it on the grill by putting asparagus, ice cubes, a lime. Squeeze the lime over the asparagus and toss the rest of the lime on top of the asparagus. Great in stir fry too!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite basic asparagus recipe is to lay out a bunch or two of trimmed asparagus stems and add either a dob of real butter or a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a shallow aluminium foil 'dish' and place this on a grill tray. Briefly place under the grill to open the asparagus cells a bit then pour over a sprinkling to taste of lemon juice then close the aluminium foil tightly over it and place back under the grill until it is lightly cooked so that there is still some resistance to the bite. If I am eating it by myself ( or if my dining companions like it, too ) I will also add a twist or few of freshly ground black pepper at the first step.
ReplyDelete