Roasted Asparagus

Ah, asparagus.  A vegetable I've just never really tried.  Of course I knew the same thing everyone else knows about asparagus and it's aromatic effects, but nothing about the flavor. I saw an Alton Brown episode a while back about the vegetable, and though my curiosity was sparked, I hadn't yet tried making them on my own. I've been branching out into more vegetable dishes, and spotted these at my local veggie market for an irresistible price. This isn't one of the craziest or unique recipes I've posted, but knowing how to cook the basics is the foundation for the rest!



Though I recall from the episode the best way to keep the most nutrients was cooking via the microwave, I decided to do a roasted version, following another Alton recipe for the cooking times and seasoning ideas.  I kept the seasoning basic, using some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I rinsed the asparagus well, then patted it dry.  I used my olive oil sprayer to lightly coat the vegetables, then sprinkled them with the seasoning.

I arranged the asparagus in a casserole dish in one layer, then got them in the oven for 5 minutes.  After the first 5 minutes, I flipped the spears over and let them roast a bit more.

After roasting, the asparagus was ready to go!

Now one thing I recalled a little too late was that you need to trim about 2 inches off the bottom of each asparagus spear.  It was tough at that part, but the rest was crisp and delicious.  The seasoning went well, and served with steak this made the perfect companion.  Adding vegetables to my diet is easy when they taste great, too.

Roasted Asparagus Recipe

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus (about 30 pieces)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse asparagus spears and trim 2 inches off the bottom of each. Lay asparagus out in one single layer on a baking dish.  Drizzle olive oil over spears to coat evenly, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 5 minutes, flip asparagus, then continue baking for another 5 minutes.