Asparagus Pea Medley Food

ASPARAGUS PEA MEDLEY

Steps:

• Cook asparagus according to package directions, omitting the salt. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Place asparagus in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. Top with peas, mushrooms and pimientos; set aside., In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk and reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; add the cheese spread, salt and pepper; stir until blended. Pour over vegetables. Melt remaining butter; toss with bread crumbs. Sprinkle over cheese sauce., Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Or bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly. If refrigerated before baking, remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes beforehand.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND PEAS

Steps:

• Zest the lemons and lay out the zest to dry it slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Mix the lemon zest with the salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cut 2 of the lemons in half and set aside.
• Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil on a baking sheet and toss to coat. Roast until the asparagus have some blackened bits, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the peas all over the asparagus, toss and squeeze on the juice of the 2 cut lemons. Return to the oven for 3 minutes.
• Serve on a big platter and sprinkle with the lemon salt, basil and parsley before serving.

SAUTEED ASPARAGUS AND SNAP PEAS

Steps:

• Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus and slice the stalks diagonally into 2-inch pieces. Snap off the stem ends of the snap peas and pull the string down the length of the vegetable.
• Warm the olive oil in a large saute pan over a medium heat and add the asparagus and snap peas. Add the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste, if desired. Cook for approximately 5 to10 minutes until al dente, tossing occasionally. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve hot.

GREEN PEA, ASPARAGUS, AND PARSLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté for 4 minutes, until softened. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in the peas and asparagus and simmer, covered, for 3 minutes longer. Carefully place half of the soup in a high-powered blender and puree until smooth, then return it to the pot. Add the parsley and thyme (if using), and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOM RICE MEDLEY

Steps:

• Pour broth into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Add rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion in butter for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the mushrooms, zucchini and carrot; saute 3-5 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add asparagus and basil; cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. , In a small serving bowl, combine the rice, asparagus mixture, cheese and pepper.

PEA PODS AND GREENS MEDLEY

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, heat broth to boiling. Stir in collard greens, vinegar, onion powder, seasoned salt and garlic powder. Return to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and boil gently 10 minutes.
• Stir in carrots. Cover; cook 8 minutes. Stir in pea pods; cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer or until carrots and pea pods are crisp-tender. Serve with red pepper sauce.

ASPARAGUS AVOCADO MEDLEY EVONNE STYLE

Steps:

• Place asparagus and water into a dish, cover, and microwave on high for 3 minutes; stir. Continue microwaving until asparagus are bright green and slightly tender, 2 to 3 more minutes. Drain and cool.
• Toss asparagus, mushrooms, avocado, zucchini, tomato, and red onion gently in a large salad bowl. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, basil, thyme, salt, and black pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; cover and shake dressing to mix. Pour dressing over salad and toss again to coat. Cover salad and refrigerate until serving time.

SAUTEED ASPARAGUS AND PEAS

Steps:

• In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium. Add asparagus; cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green and slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add peas; cook, stirring, until asparagus are tender and peas are heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

ROASTED VEGETABLE MEDLEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Place the yams, parsnips, and carrots onto the baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then add the zucchini and asparagus, and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Continue baking until all of the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Once tender, remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheet.
• Toss the roasted peppers together with the garlic, basil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add the roasted vegetables, and toss to mix. Serve at room temperature or cold.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS MEDLEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and trim asparagus, removing tough ends; cut spears in half and place in large bowl with sliced onions, peppers, celery and garlic. Toss vegetables together with balsamic vinegar and olive oil; mix well and allow to marinate at room temperature 15 minutes. Coat a large flat baking sheet with food release spray and spread asparagus mixture evenly in pan; sprinkle with sea salt and roast 20 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit or until vegetables start to brown. Serve hot.

BUTTER-POACHED ASPARAGUS, LEEKS & PEAS

Steps:

• Bring 100ml water to a simmer in a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and whisk in the butter. Drop in the leeks, cook for 2 mins,then add the asparagus and peas, and cook for 2 mins more. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and mint.
• To serve, remove the veg from the emulsion with a slotted spoon, then spoon over some of the buttery poaching juices.

ASPARAGUS WITH PEAS, MINT & JERSEY ROYALS IN WILD GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the potatoes for 8-10 mins or until tender. Drain.
• Toast the slivered almonds in a dry frying pan until golden. Set aside.
• Mix together the butter, wild garlic leaves and mint (you can blitz in a food processor, if you like). Set aside.
• Cover the peas with boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain and immediately plunge into cold water.
• Heat the olive oil in a large lidded saucepan over a medium heat. Add the asparagus spears and a good pinch of sea salt and shake to coat in the oil. Put the lid on and cook the asparagus over a low to medium heat, shaking the pan to move the spears around, about 4 mins. Remove the spears from the pan and immediately plunge into iced water.
• Melt the garlic butter in the pan and squeeze in the juice of the lemon. Stir the potatoes, asparagus and peas into the butter untiul warm. Tip everything onto a serving dish and grate over some lemon zest. Top with the toasted almonds.

ASPARAGUS, GREEN PEA, AND SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• Rinse the asparagus, snap off the tough bottom stub of each spear (and save; see the recipe that follows). Slice each spear crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces; if the spear is fatter than 1/2 inch, slice it lengthwise in half or quarters. You want the asparagus pieces to be approximately pea-size. Slice the spears to make 4 cupfuls.
• Pour 1/4 cup of the oil into the skillet, set over medium-high heat, and stir in the onions. After a minute or two, when the onions are gently sizzling, stir in the leek pieces and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook for a minute, drop the peperoncino into a hot spot to toast briefly, then stir and cook until the leeks are hot and starting to wilt, 3 minutes or so.
• Dump in the green peas and stir with the other vegetables. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and let the vegetables cook, sizzling gently. Shake the pan frequently, uncover it occasionally, and adjust the heat as needed to make sure the onions aren't in danger of burning.
• After 6 minutes or more, when the onions are pale gold and the peas are softening, stir in the asparagus pieces and the scallions, then the butter and another 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour in 1/3 cup of water, and stir well to moisten everything.
• Bring the sauce to a slow simmer and keep it cooking, very slowly, over low heat, for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, and add spoonfuls of water to the sauce if it seems to be getting dry. The vegetables should become very soft but still retain their shape and identity the sauce as a whole should be moist and thick. When it's reached this stage, turn off the heat, and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the shredded mint leaves.
• Use right away or let it cool. The sauce can be refrigerated for several days. If frozen, the texture will change but the flavor will be fine it will keep for several weeks.
• Good With . . .
• Both dry and fresh pastas
• Gnocchi
• As a topping for polenta
• As a base for risotto
• Potato, Leek, and Bacon Ravioli (page 186)

POLENTA WITH ASPARAGUS, PEAS AND MINT

Steps:

• If cooking polenta on stovetop: In a medium pot over high heat, combine 4 1/2 cups water, polenta and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how finely the polenta is ground (coarse-ground polenta takes longer).
• Alternatively, cook polenta in oven: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot over high heat, bring 4 1/2 cups water, polenta and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, stirring constantly until the mixture starts to thicken slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Cover pot and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then give the mixture a stir. If it looks dry, add another 1/2 cup water. Cover the pot once more, and continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes.
• When polenta is thick and creamy, stir in 2 to 4 of the tablespoons butter (depending on how buttery you like it) and the Parmesan. Taste and add more Parmesan and salt, if needed.
• As the polenta cooks, prepare the vegetables: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add shallots and sauté until tender and golden, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Stir in garlic and cook for another minute or two, until fragrant and very lightly golden in spots. Add vermouth and cook until alcohol evaporates, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in asparagus and peas, and cook until vegetables are glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add stock, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and a large pinch of salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are tender and sauce thickens slightly, 2 to 8 minutes. (Thicker asparagus will take longer to soften.) Stir in the mint. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
• To serve, spoon polenta into bowls, top with vegetables and their sauce, and grind on lots of fresh pepper. Finish with shaved Parmesan.

ASPARAGUS AND ENGLISH PEA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a greased casserole dish, layer half of the peas, asparagus cuts, mushrooms, soup, cracker crumbs, and cheddar cheese.
• Repeat layers.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

GREEN VEGETABLE MEDLEY

Steps:

• Fill a 12-inch skillet with about 1 inch of cold water. Place over high heat; bring to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add asparagus; cover, and simmer until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove asparagus from skillet, and transfer to serving plate. Pour off water from skillet.
• Return skillet to heat, and melt butter. Add leek, and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Add spinach and peas, season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper; cover, and cook until spinach is wilted and peas are tender, about 3 minutes. Turn the vegetables out of the skillet over asparagus, and serve immediately.