Nutty Flavoured Asparagus Food

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Cut off the woody bottom part of the asparagus spears and discard.
• With a vegetable peeler, peel off the skin on the bottom 2-3 inches of the spears (this keeps the asparagus from being all "stringy" and if you eat asparagus you know what I mean by that).
• Place asparagus on foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
• Sprinkle with salt.
• With your hands, roll the asparagus around until they are evenly coated with oil and salt.
• Roast for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your stalks and how tender you like them.
• They should be tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
• The tips of the spears will get very brown but watch them to prevent burning.
• They are great plain, but sometimes I serve them with a light vinaigrette if we need something acidic to balance out our meal.

NUTTY FLAVOURED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Melt the butter over medium high heat.
• Allow to boil until lightly browned (do not burn).
• Remove from the heat, Add the garlic, salt and pepper and allow to steep for 10 minutes.
• Steam the asparagus to the desired tenderness.
• Serve warm with the butter sauce ladled over it.

QUINOA RISOTTO

Steps:

• Place quinoa in strainer and rinse thoroughly, drain.
• Place quinoa in fry pan and cook over med heat, stir often, until darker in color (8 minutes) Remove from pan and set aside.
• Increase heat to med-high.
• Melt butter and add onion and 2 Tab water.
• Cook, stir often, until onion is soft.
• (Add water 1 tbs at a time if seems dry) To pan add broth, milk, quinoa, (if using dried sage add here).
• Bring to boil, stir often.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stir occasionally until quinoa is almost tender to bite (10 minutes) Meanwhile, snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus, then cut stalks diagonally into 1-inch pieces.
• Add asparagus to quinoa mixture and cook, stir often, until asparagus is tender when pierced and almost all liquid is absorbed (5 minutes). Reduce heat and stir often until mixture thickens.
• Remove pan from heat and gently stir in fontina cheese and chopped fresh sage.
• Let stand until cheese is melted.
• Transfer to a shallow serving dish.
• Top with Parmesan.

ASPARAGUS GALETTE WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Place flours and salt in a food processor; pulse until blended. Add butter; pulse until butter is the size of peas. While pulsing, add just enough ice water to form moist crumbs. Shape dough into a disk. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add leeks and 1 teaspoon salt; cook and stir until softened, 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until deep golden brown, 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan to a large bowl., In the same skillet, heat oil and remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and remaining 1 teaspoon salt; cook and stir until reduced by half and crispy, about 20 minutes. Add to bowl with leeks., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add asparagus; cook, uncovered, until the stalks turn bright green, 2-3 minutes. Remove asparagus and immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry; add to bowl with leeks and mushrooms., Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-in. circle. Transfer crust to a parchment-lined baking sheet., Crumble goat cheese over top of vegetable mixture. Spoon over crust to within 2 in. of edge. Fold crust edge over filling, pleating as you go and leaving a 6-in. opening in the center. Brush folded crust with beaten egg. Bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is melty, 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ASPARAGUS AND GRUYERE TART

Steps:

• Roll out the puff pastry sheet to a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. Score a line around the puff pastry 1 inch from the edge. Brush the mustard around the inside of the cut. Sprinkle the cheese over the mustard. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer over the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Brush the outside inch of the pastry with the oil. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until the asparagus is tender and the pastry is golden brown, about 15-25 minutes.

ASPARAGUS WITH ANCHOVIES AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and anchovy paste (or anchovy fillet) stirring constantly until garlic is fragrant and anchovy melts.
• Add asparagus and water and cook stirring occasionally until the asparagus is tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

FARRO SALAD WITH PEAS, ASPARAGUS, AND FETA

Steps:

• Cook farro in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer to large bowl.
• Meanwhile, cook asparagus and sugar snap peas in another saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Add to farro with tomatoes, onion, and dill. Whisk oil and vinegar in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Add dressing and feta to salad; toss to coat and serve.

ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO CROSTINI WITH FONDUTA

Steps:

• Make fonduta:
• In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water melt butter. Add Fontina and milk and heat, stirring with a whisk, until cheese begins to melt. Whisk in yolks and cook, stirring constantly with whisk, until smooth and thickened slightly, about 7 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and remove bowl from pan. Stir sauce 1 minute while water in pan cools slightly. Return bowl to pan and keep sauce warm over hot water (off heat), whisking occasionally to eliminate skin that forms on surface.
• Preheat broiler.
• On a baking sheet toast bread about 3 inches from heat, turning, until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Rub tops of crostini with cut side of garlic and brush with oil. Season crostini lightly with salt. Divide crostini among 4 plates and top with prosciutto.
• In a deep 10- to 12-inch skillet bring 1 1/4 inches salted water to a boil and cook asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with tongs to a colander and drain. Divide asparagus among crostini. Pour fonduta over them.

MINTED PEA AND ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat a 2-quart sauce pot over medium-high heat. Melt the coconut oil, then add the onion, cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the rice and cook for an additional 2 minutes. This toasts the rice and gives it a wonderful nutty flavor. Pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce by half before adding 12 ounces of stock. Stir often and allow the rice to absorb most of the liquid before adding more. Continue cooking the rice, adding the liquid in 4-ounce increments and remembering to stir often.
• When the rice feels just about fully cooked add the asparagus and continue to cook. At this point the rice should be thick and creamy. Add the peas, stir to combine, and heat through. Season with the salts, black pepper, and stir in the mint and coconut butter. Serve immediately.

SAUTEED ASPARAGUS WITH AGED GOUDA CHEESE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus spears, and saute until they are tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large platter, and top with Gouda. Serve immediately.

WHITE ASPARAGUS WITH ORANGE BUTTER

Steps:

• Juice 5 oranges over a sieve, yielding about 1 1/2 cups. Zest 1 orange. Using a paring knife, remove skin, pith, and outer membrane from remaining orange. Carefully cut each segment away from white membranes. (This is called supreming the orange). Set segments aside.
• Place asparagus in a large saute pan. Add 1/2 inch of water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, and steam asparagus to tenderize, about 8 minutes. Just before asparagus are fully cooked, drain liquid from the saute pan. Add 1/4 cup orange juice, and simmer until the asparagus are fork-tender. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and steam while finishing sauce.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring 1 1/4 cups orange juice to a boil. Add vinegar, lower heat, and simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup. Remove from heat, and stir in butter, one piece at a time, until sauce is thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer asparagus to a warm platter, drizzle with sauce, and garnish with reserved orange segments, zest, and tarragon.

TOASTED BARLEY AND ASPARAGUS "RISOTTO"

Steps:

• Cook asparagus in pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water and cool. Drain. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Stir barley in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer barley to bowl. Melt butter in same saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add barley and stir to coat. Add 2 cups broth; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Mix in 2 1/2 cups broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add 3 cups broth and simmer until barley is tender and creamy but still slightly firm to bite, stirring frequently and adding more broth if mixture is dry, about 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and asparagus; stir until heated through, about 3 minutes. Mix in cheese, arugula and lemon peel. Season with salt and pepper.