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| Roasted Asparagus is basted with olive oil, sprinkled with garlic and baked for 10 minutes in a 400-degree oven. |
June
29, 2011
My parents
have an asparagus patch in their backyard. Come spring, we covet its tender, fresh
spears. My love affair with asparagus began as a child when we trekked into the
wild, northern Michigan ditches to hunt it down. We were answering the call of my dad - rather than Euell Gibbons.
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| This recipe is simple and quick |
If you like asparagus and
garlic, you’ll love this recipe for Roasted Asparagus, lightly basted in olive
oil and sprinkled with a good quantity of minced garlic. It’s outrageously
delicious. A quick and easy dish to prepare, asparagus has well-balanced
nutrition and many health benefits.
In Michigan, peak season
for this perennial spring favorite is from late April to mid or
late June. Michigan asparagus is a bit seedier than usual this year, thanks to our cold and
wet spring. Still finding young, tender spears at farmer’s markets and the
grocery store made me merry this week, but the peak is waning. Choose asparagus
spears that are small in diameter; thicker spears can be stringy and tough.
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| Asparagus is packed with nutrients |
Asparagus is
so good for you; they put it in capsules and sell it. It has anti-oxidant,
anti-cancer and anti-aging properties, and works as a detoxifier and a diuretic.
This verdant vegetable is packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (plant
chemicals that block cell damage). Phytochemicals help prevent and treat
cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension. As if that’s not
enough, asparagus gives your body folic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, B vitamins
(including B9), calcium, fiber and potassium. Sounds like asparagus should be in a
vegetable Hall of Fame!
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| Oftentimes, I think there's no such thing as too much garlic |
Who’d
have guessed that you could actually watch asparagus grow? In ideal conditions, an
asparagus spear can grow 10 inches in 24 hours.
Whether steamed or roasted, asparagus should always be cooked tender-crisp. A minute or two more and it gets soggy. This Roasted
Asparagus recipe calls for 12 medium or 6 large cloves of garlic. If you
prefer less garlic, cut back on the number of cloves. Sometimes, I’ll add a
whole head. But I must confess, I’m a garlic junkie.
You'll find the following links helpful if you want to learn more about asparagus.
Everything you ever wanted to know about asparagus:
http://www.asparagus.com
Everything you ever wanted to know about asparagus:
http://www.asparagus.com
A video on planting asparagus:
1 comment:
Cheryl, I love asparagus and your recipe is a great way to fix it. I had it the other night and added some parmesan - sets it off! YUMM
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