Asparagus Recipes
By Jen Curcio
Asparagus is up there when it comes to my favourite green veggies. I love it grilled, steamed, on its own, added to salads – any way really.
There are many ways to use asparagus and please feel free to share your asparagus recipes in the comments. My favourites though are below. Give them a whiz and let me know how you go.
For seasonal notes on the humble asparagus, see the end of the post.
Baked Asparagus with lemon
There are some recipes that I categorise as ‘barely recipes’, and this baked asparagus with lemon recipe is most definitely one of them. I call them ‘barely recipes’ because they usually only involve one main ingredient, minimal seasoning, preparation and / or minimal cooking time.
This baked asparagus with lemon recipe serves two as a side dish and requires one bunch of asparagus (500g with ends on), half a lemon, quality olive oil for drizzling, salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat your oven to 200°. Meanwhile, place the asparagus in a baking tray, and drizzle with olive oil. At this point I snap the ends off and discard them. If you prefer yours on, go for it! Zest the lemon above the asparagus in the baking tray so that the zest falls onto the asparagus. Next squeeze the juice of the lemon over the asparagus taking care not to let the pips fall. Finally season the asparagus with salt and pepper to your taste. Using tongs, a fork or spoon try to mix the asparagus around the dish so the oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and pepper are evenly divided. Once the oven has warmed up to 200°, place the dish in the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. The asparagus will have coloured slightly on the top and feel tender when pricked with a fork. Serve warm as a side dish.
Serving suggestion: this simple baked salmon recipe.
Asparagus soldiers
Bring back this twist on childhood eggs with an asparagus soldier instead of one made from toast. I prefer boiling asparagus spears for soldiers, so that they remain firm. Simply boil a small pot of water, drop in your bunch of asparagus (ends snapped off) and once the water comes to boil again remove, drain and dip!
Simple asparagus salad
Asparagus is one of those veggies that if fresh requires only a few additional flavours in order to be enjoyed. In fact, a simple drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of lime or lemon juice with some salt and pepper is just magic to turn your asparagus into a delicious salad or side dish. If you want a bit of extra kick grill your asparagus with butter and when ready serve with a sprinkling of parmesan shavings, some smashed roasted hazelnuts, salt and pepper.
Lemon Pasta with asparagus
Next time home made pasta is on the menu (spaghetti, stracci, linguine, fettucine, etc) add the finely grated zest of two lemons (per 500 gms of flour) to your eggs before adding to your flour mixture. Prior to boiling your pasta try the following for a lovely sauce of sorts.
These directions will serve two people. Melt a half a thumb’s worth of butter into a frying pan on medium heat and add 6-8 asparagus spears cut into small diagonal slices, once lightly fried take it off the heat. Once the pasta is ready and is being drained, return the frying pan with butter and asparagus to medium heat, throw the pasta into the pan, add a little more butter then sprinkle a good amount of grated parmesan and stir through. Once mixed, crack two eggs onto the pasta and swirl through vigorously (so it doesn’t scramble), add some salt and pepper then serve. Simple and subtle flavours here but very delicious.
Asparagus Notes:
In Season (southern hemisphere) – September to March. Green asparagus is available from early September to March. White asparagus is available from September to January. Purple asparagus is available from October and mid December but only in limited supplies.
Storage – According to the Australian Asparagus Council, to keep asparagus fresher for longer, you should wrap it in a damp tea towel, place it in a plastic bag and then store it in your fridge’s crisper. For more storage information, check out the Council’s website here.
Facts – Asparagus is a member of the lily family, just as onions, garlic, leeks and turnips.
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