Healthy Blanched Asparagus Food

BLANCHED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Prepare 1 1/2 pounds medium-thick asparagus (see Rinse and Snap). Have a large bowl of ice water ready. In a large saucepan, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Season with 2 tablespoons coarse salt, and add asparagus; boil until tender, 3 to 4 minutes (depending on thickness).
• Remove with tongs, or drain in a colander, and immediately transfer to ice water for 1 minute to stop the cooking process. Drain; refrigerate until completely chilled.

BLANCHED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Place asparagus in a medium pot filled with boiling salted water for 40 seconds. Remove asparagus and serve with sea bass.

ASPARAGUS WITH HOLLANDAISE

Steps:

• Hold both ends of a stalk of asparagus and bend it until it snaps. Then use a knife to trim the remainder of the bunch to match. Discard the trimmed stems.
• Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook, uncovered, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes depending on the thickness. Drain in a colander.
• Meanwhile, put the egg yolk, lemon juice and cayenne in a blender. Pulse a couple times to combine.
• Put the butter in a small microwave proof bowl and heat in a microwave until just melted. With the blender running, gradually add the melted butter into the egg to make a smooth frothy sauce. If the sauce is really thick blend in a teaspoon of lukewarm water to loosen it up.
• Transfer the asparagus to a plate. Pour the sauce over the top of the asparagus, sprinkle with more cayenne if desired and serve right away.
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HEALTHY BLANCHED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and return water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Peel lower two thirds of each asparagus stalk with a vegetable peeler. Place asparagus in boiling water and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and immediately transfer asparagus to ice-water bath until cool; drain.

COLD ASPARAGUS VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Blanch the asparagus and drain it on paper towels.
• Arrange the spears in a shallow serving dish and sprinkle with the minced shallot.
• Place the garlic and salt in a small bowl, and mash them together with the back of a spoon until the mixture forms a paste.
• Stir in the mustard and lemon juice.
• Whisk in the oil, vinegar, and pepper.
• Spoon this dressing over the asparagus.
• Garnish the asparagus with alternating bands of chopped egg white, parsley, and egg yolk.
• Chill thoroughly before serving.

CRYO-BLANCHED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Dissolve the salt in the water. Rinse the asparagus and remove the small triangular scales that run the length of the stalk up to the tip. Leave the tip intact. Soak the asparagus in the brine for 10 minutes.
• Remove the asparagus from the brine and place it in vacuum-seal bags. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer. Alternatively, place the asparagus in zip-top bags, squeezing out as much air as possible, and place them in the freezer. Freeze for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
• When the asparagus is frozen solid, remove it from the freezer, cut the bags open, and let the asparagus defrost in the refrigerator. Cut off the tough stem ends, then pat the stalks dry with a paper towel. The asparagus are much easier to clean after cryo-blanching. The asparagus is ready to be served or added to a cooked preparation.

BLANCHED VEGETABLES BACK TO BASIC'S

Steps:

• Trim vegetables by removing tough skin and chopping into bite size pieces.
• Keep stem separate form tender heads.
• In a large pot of salted boiling water add the thick stems for 1 minute then add the more tender tops of the vegetable and cook for 1 minutes. Remove and add to water bath to chill and stop the cooking.
• Save for when you want to get the meal finalized. Or add right to a pan with butter, oil, garlic, nuts what suits your fancy stir fry for 1-2 minutes, seasoning with seasoned salt and enjoy.

HOW TO BLANCH ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Remove the tough ends of the spears; discard them.
• Add some coarse sea salt to water and bring it to a boil.
• Add asparagus and set the timer for 2:30 to 3 minutes.
• Remove them using a slotted spoon and plunge them in an ice water bath. Leave them there until cool off.
• Drain the asparagus and proceed with your recipe.