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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Simply Asparagus

Spices and sauces add life to a dish but there are a few ingredients which taste the best if left by themselves. Asparagus has been called “the vegetable with a delicate flavor” and now I know what exactly it means. This particular vegetable has a flavor subtle enough to hold out on its own and yet a couple of additional ingredients or extra cooking time can ruin the balance.

Ingredients
Fresh asparagus – one bunch
Garlic sliced thinly – 4 cloves
Butter – 2 tsp
Water – 4 cups
Salt and pepper



Trim the asparagus and cut into long pieces. Bring the water to boil in a vessel, add salt and asparagus. Cook for 2 minutes and transfer the asparagus into a bowl filled with ice water. Take it out in 2 minutes, the asparagus is now blanched and ready to use.

Heat butter in a skillet and sauté garlic for about a minute. Add the asparagus, some more salt and pepper. Cook on high flame for 3 to 5 minutes. And that’s all it takes for the asparagus to turn into a delicious side dish from a plain green bunch lying in your fridge.

Since I did save on a lot of cooking time on this one, I compensated by adding on whole wheat pasta with fresh tomato and zesty brown rice with cilantro to the menu (recipes to follow soon). Now does this scream “HEALTHY” or what??

Interesting fact
*Asparagus aids the human body in ‘cleansing and healing’.
*It is a low-calorie source of folate and potassium and high in antioxidants.
*Asparagus can be pickled and stored for several years.

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