Chinese Chilled Asparagus Food

ASIAN ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Cut asparagus into 2" pieces.
• Heat oil in wok or large skillet (high heat).
• Add asparagus, stir fry for 1 minute.
• Add water& sugar to the asparagus, cover and steam for 2 minutes, shake the pan a few times Combine the remaining ingredients.
• Uncover wok and add remaining ingredients and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat the asparagus with the spice mixture.
• Serve immediately.

CHINESE CHILLED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Cut the asparagus into slices diagonally.
• Place in a saucepan and pour the boiling water over the asparagus.
• Return to a boil and cook for two minutes.
• Drain and cool under running cold water.
• Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the asparagus.
• Chill for 1/2 hour before serving.

CHINESE CHILLED NOODLES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the sesame oil, black soy sauce, balsamic, sugar, salt, and Chile Oil. Whisk to blend. Stir in half of the sliced scallions. Set aside in the refrigerator.
• When the water boils, season with salt until the water tastes like seawater. Plunge the pasta in the boiling water and cook, 3 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Place a colander in the sink. Remove the pot from the heat and pour off most of the water into the colander, catching any pasta as the water pours out.
• Remove the colander from the sink and fill the pot still containing the pasta with cold water. You want the pasta to cool quickly by being submerged in the cold water. This will assure a chewy texture.
• Drain the pasta thoroughly in the colander, shaking it a few times to remove excess water covering the pasta. Spread a kitchen towel on a flat surface and turn the noodles onto the towel. Gently use a second towel to dry the noodles. Removing the excess moisture assures that the sauce will have its proper flavoring effect on the noodles. Any water from cooking the pasta dilutes the noodles and makes them taste more like water than anything else. Gingerly transfer them the bowl with the sauce. Use your hands to mix the pasta and the sauce, taking care that all of the pasta gets coated. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• These noodles can marinate for a few hours or overnight before serving. Serve them cold, tossing them again in the sauce just before serving, and garnish with the remaining scallions.
• Remove the stems from the chiles then place in a food processor and blend until they are completely broken down.
• Use a rubber spatula and scrape into a medium sized saute pan. Add the oil and stir well. Set the pan over medium-low heat. Gently warm up the oil slowly so it draws out the color and flavor of the chiles. Stir well and season with salt. Once the oil is barely simmering, cook for 5 to 6 minutes. hut off heat and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.
• Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.
• Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

ORIENTAL ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Cook asparagus until just tender, I microwave for 2 1/2 minutes.
• Rinse with cold water briefly.
• Mix garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar and seaseme oil. Pour over asparagus while still warm.
• Sever hot or cold.

CHILLED BEETS AND ASPARAGUS WITH GARLIC CHIVE BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• First, a note on beets: they'll stain anything! Make sure you wear gloves as you're peeling the beets unless you want your hands to be an attractive magenta color!
• Place the quartered beets in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Immediately lower the heat to medium and let the beets cook for about 20 minutes or just until fork tender. Drain the beets and run them under cold water. Drain and set aside. As you're doing this, get another pot of water boiling and drop the prepped asparagus into it for just 2 minutes. Drain the asparagus and run it under cold water immediately. This is called blanching. Drain and add to the beets.
• In yet another saucepan, add the water, orange blossom water, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the glaze has reduced by half and has thickened slightly. Toss with the vegetables, and add the roughly chopped garlic chives. Top with the chive blossoms and crumbled goat cheese and serve as a first course on a bed of mixed greens.

CHILLED ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• I like asparagus al dente, slightly crunchy. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot over medium heat. Add salt until it tastes like mild seawater. How will you know? Take a little water with a spoon and taste it, then add the sugar.
• Prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl, large enough to hold the asparagus, with cold water. Add some ice cubes. Plunge the asparagus into the ice bath before cooking. This will help to bring any limp stalks back to life. Remove from the ice bath, plunge them into the boiling water and allow them to cook, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water, transferring them immediately to the same ice bath. Allow them to sit in the ice bath for a few minutes, swirling them gently in the water to assure they are all cooling quickly in the cold water.
• The most important step for this dish? Drying the stalks once they are removed from the ice bath. Taking care that no water gets into the final salad is the best way to assure that the maximum flavor will be enjoyed! Transfer the asparagus to a large plate or platter lined with a kitchen towel and refrigerate.
• In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, honey and mustard. Stir to blend. Whisk in the olive oil in an even, steady stream. When all of the oil has been integrated, taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• When ready to serve, remove the kitchen towel from the asparagus and simply toss the asparagus in the dressing to coat them completely. Arrange the stalks on plates and serve.

FRESH ASPARAGUS SALAD (LIANG-PAN-LU-SUN)

Steps:

• Bend each asparagus stalk back until the tough root end snaps away.
• Discard the ends.
• Wash the stalks and slice diagonally into bite- sized pieces.
• Blanch the pieces in boiling water for 1 minute, drain at once, and run cold water over the asparagus to stop their cooking.
• Spread them on a double thickness of paper towels and pat them dry.
• In a container large enough to hold the asparagus, combine the remaining ingredients and mix well until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Add the asparagus and toss to coat each piece with the dressing.
• Chill slightly--no more than 2-3 hours--before serving.
• May be served chilled or at room temperature.

CHEESY GARLIC ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a foil-lined baking sheet with nonstick spray.
• Mix olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Arrange asparagus on the prepared baking sheet, and drizzle oil mixture over top; toss to coat.
• Roast in the preheated oven until spears are vibrant in color and just beginning to get tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn on the broiler.
• Top asparagus with mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven and broil until cheese melts and becomes golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

ASIAN ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• In a saucepan, cook the asparagus in a small amount of water until crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain well and place in a large bowl. , Combine the soy sauce, oil, vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger and cumin; pour over asparagus and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Drain before serving.

ASIAN ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry asparagus in canola oil until crisp-tender. Add tomatoes and orange juice mixture; heat through.

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP

Steps:

• Soak and rinse asparagus.
• Remove top 1 inch of each spear, discard tough lower part, and reserve middle portion of stalks.
• In a 3-quart saucepan, over medium heat, sauté onion in butter for 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent.
• Add chicken stock, asparagus tips and stems, potato, celery, thyme, and pepper.
• Cover and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Remove asparagus tips and set aside.
• Place half of the soup at a time in a blender container.
• Cover and blend at high speed for 20 to 30 seconds or until very smooth.
• Pass through a fine sieve and return blended soup to saucepan.
• Add reserved asparagus tips and cream (or half and half, or milk) and heat thoroughly, or refrigerate to be served cold.
• Be sure to adjust the seasoning after you add the cream (or half& half, or milk), especially if you plan to serve it cold.

SPRING ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk together the rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and mustard. Drizzle in the peanut oil and sesame oil while whisking vigorously to emulsify. Set aside.
• Bring a pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus to the water and cook 3 to 5 minutes until just tender, but still mostly firm. Remove and rinse under cold water to stop from cooking any further.
• Place the asparagus in a large bowl and drizzle the dressing over the asparagus. Toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.