Asparagus Squash Red Pepper Saute Food

ASPARAGUS FRITTATA

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F.
• In large bowl combine beaten eggs with the milk and Parmesan. Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan, until the butter is frothy. Add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent and golden, being careful not to burn them. Using a large wooden spatula, stir in the eggs and turn the heat down to very low. Stir the eggs to form a large flat omelet shape, fully covering the bottom of the pan. When the eggs begin to cook and take shape, stir in the diced asparagus and the herbs. Place the whole saute pan into the oven and continue to cook for 2 more minutes until the frittata is cooked around the edges and the center has puffed up.
• Remove immediately form the oven. Invert the frittata onto a large platter and serve immediately.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Snap or cut the dry stem ends off each asparagus and place on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Divide and toss the asparagus with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and arrange in a single layer on 2 to 3 separate large rimmed baking sheets.
• Place in the oven and roast until the spears are tender and the tips are turning golden and slightly charred, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Prepare the vinaigrette while the asparagus is roasting. To a bowl, add the Dijon mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary.
• Remove the asparagus from the oven and place on a serving platter. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the feta cheese. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BAKED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place asparagus in a large plastic bag. Drizzle half the olive oil over the asparagus, seal the bag and shake until asparagus is coated evenly with the olive oil. If necessary, add only enough of the remaining olive oil to coat the asparagus. Place the asparagus in a single layer on a cookie sheet, season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender or crunchy depending upon your preference, about 12 to 20 minutes.
• Tips: (Shortcut chef) Toss asparagus with oil, salt and pepper as directed below and store in refrigerator until you're ready to bake it off. Get into the habit of spending 5 to 15 minutes prepping tonight or tomorrow's dinner during the day and you will be eating in more than out. The weight will come off quicker with home cooked healthful meals and you know it.
• Tip: From mom's lips to your ears: You forgot to tell them to snap off the woody bottoms. Tell em to hold asparagus, one at a time, in their hands near the cut end and snap it like kindling. Mother Nature saw to it that the asparagus breaks in just the right spot, save the ends for stock.
• Morph: Serve one other simple veggie side and a piece of oven baked fish such as salmon and dinner is all done. Cook off extra asparagus and throw it into a frittata, polenta, or pasta later in the week.
• If the Queen's coming for dinner, toss cooked asparagus with fresh lemon, plate and garnish with thin curls of Parmesan.
• Tip: Asparagus starts losing its sweetness the minute it's cut, therefore, as always, look for the freshest stalks possible. Skins should be smooth and bright colored with tightly formed heads.

BASIC BOILED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring about 6 quarts of water to a rapid boil in a covered pot large enough to hold the asparagus. Cut the bottom section- usually about 1 to 2 inches off the asparagus stalks with a sharp knife. Peel the asparagus by laying them flat, one at a time, on a cutting board. If the asparagus are thinner than 1/2-inch, use a vegetable peeler and peel the asparagus starting at the base of the tip and peeling them all the way down to the base, eliminating the fibrous peel and revealing the pale green flesh. If the asparagus are very thick or woody, use a paring knife and start peeling from the base. When ready to cook, toss the salt into the boiling water and carefully lower in the asparagus. Turn the heat to low and simmer the asparagus, uncovered, until the spears are easily penetrated with a knife, usually after about 5 minutes but from 1 minute for very thin asparagus to 12 minutes for the very thickest. If serving cold asparagus, plunge the hot cooked asparagus into ice water or rinse under cold water in a colander. Pat dry.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Break off the tough ends of the asparagus and, if they're thick, peel them. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus for 25 minutes, until tender but still crisp.