(Photo replaced in May 2008)
This being the season for asparagus, there are lots of asparagus recipes around. Just look at the gorgous dishes created by Keiko over at Nordljus! This specific dish I spotted first over at the Finnish-language Pastanjauhantaa blog, where it had found its way through the archives of Anne's Food. Rather unusually, the asparagus are roasted in this recipe, and not steamed or boiled. Roasting actually intensifies the flavour of those tender green spears, so do try it. Perfect as a starter during spring days.
Oven-roasted green asparagus with Parmesan cheese
(Ahjus röstitud sparglid parmesaniga)
Serves 2 as a starter
a bunch of fresh green asparagus
extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of Maldon sea salt flakes
a pinch of freshly grated black pepper
half a lemon
few tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Snip off the woody stalk ends of asparagus. Put them in a small roasting dish in one layer.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and some crushed black pepper.
Roast in a 200˚C oven for about 15-20 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice during roasting.
To serve, squeeze some lemon juice and sprinkle some Parmesan on top.
Other asparagus dishes @ Nami-nami:
Asparagus with pinenuts, lime and browned butter (May 2007)
Roasted green asparagus with feta cheese (May 2007)
Wild asparagus with butter / Wild asparagus with pasta & garlic (May 2006)
11 comments:
Oh yeees, one of my favourite vegetables, especially as here in Lancashire you can get it fresh and local. I know it is usually served as a starter, but I went to a dinner party recently and the hostess served steamed asparagus and sugar snap peas with fish and seafood pie, and they went very well!
I made some of these yesterday for lunch to go with my leftover roastbeef but didn't have time to take a picture! We were so hungry and also were afraid that there wouldn't be enough asparagus to go round with the meal since we dived straight into it as soon as it was cooked. I did the same procedure except i didn't put lemon and i put it under the grill. I might try drizzling some lemon next time. Thanks for the idea!
YUM!
They look perfect Pille :)
This is a classic in Italy during spring... I like asparagus cooked in this way.
Looks good!
The only difference in the recipe is that in Italy you use butter and no lemon.
I will try your version.
Looks really nice, I went off asparagus for quite a some time as I reached complete asparagus saturation point. When it is in season here it is in every restaurant and it is complete overkill.
That recipe however makes me hungry for some..
my italian produce lady looked at me as if i was mad when i told her that i was going to oven roast my asparagus! but they are so good this way!
Hi Pille - this looks beautiful, I can eat it every day no problem :) I like sprinkling a little balsamic for this instead of lemon juice. Looking forward to seeing your gorgeous wild asparagus creation too!
Take care and have a lovely weekend. keiko x
Also other unorthodox ways of preparing asparagus - such as grilling - are definitely worth trying! Too bad the weather guys have promised us practically a full week of pouring rain here in Oulu. Luckily, we were able to find a dry break yesterday evening and succeeded in barbecuing some pork ribs with no umbrellas.
Have a nice weekend!
Roxy - I must admit that I've only had asparagus as a starter, too. But I'll think of a way to incorporate it in the main course..
Mae - lemon was nice, although I might try with balsamico next time, as Keiko suggested.
Clare - thanks! And congrats on your engagement again! (What is it with foodbloggers and engagements these days?!?!)
Orchidea - and I'll try yours:)
AmyJames - I like the sound of toasted almonds instead (or in addition to?) parmesan. Thanks for the tip!
Pamela - I don't think I eat nearly enough asparagus to ever reach that point:)
Kishko - I bet the lady went home and tried to roast some herself;)
Paz - if you like this recipe, then you should get some fresh asparagus from one of the undoubtedly many NY street markets and try it!
Keiko - your asparagus pictures were so gorgeous, and inspiring! I saw a recipe in Joanna Harris' "French Kitchen" using balsamic vinegar, too, so that's the way I'll try it next time.. Wild asparagus was delicious!
Pippurimylly - what, it's not sunny & hot in Oulu?! It's hardly ever warm and hot and dry here, and I'm longing for our temperate Nordic summer days more and more these days. And some bbq pork ribs - summer staple in Estonia, too - would be nice obviously!
Pille, the joy of eating asparagus is exactly the way you have served it - simple with a bit of cheese.
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