Fresh asparagus brightens any plate with its vibrant green color. It is one of the vegetables people love because asparagus is diversity personified. You could use it as a keynote ingredient or a side dish. Toss it into a soup, chop up some for mashed potatoes, or grill it with bacon.
In terms of pairing asparagus with meals, pasta is a good choice, as is steak, scallops, and casseroles. When you’re shopping for this recipe, look for bright green asparagus. You can get “baby” bundles, which cook more quickly.
Prepare the asparagus by removing the woody ends. Try to make them the same length. If you can’t use them right away, the bundle will do fine in the refrigerator for three days if you wrap it with paper towels.
Asiago Asparagus
Fresh asparagus brightens any plate with its vibrant green color. It is one of the vegetables people love because asparagus is diversity personified. You could use it as a keynote ingredient or a side dish. Toss it into a soup, chop up some for mashed potatoes, or grill it with bacon. In terms of pairing asparagus with meals, pasta is a good choice, as is steak, scallops, and casseroles. When you’re shopping for this recipe, look for bright green asparagus. You can get “baby” bundles, which cook more quickly.Prepare the asparagus by removing the woody ends. Try to make them the same length. If you can’t use them right away, the bundle will do fine in the refrigerator for three days if you wrap it with paper towels.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- 1 ½ tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 ½ tsp unsalted butter (melted)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp basil
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp orange zest
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- ½ cup Asiago cheese (freshly shredded)
- Pepper to taste
- Chives (garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Remove the woody ends from the asparagus. Go a little further up the stalk if it still feels stiff.
- If you’re a soup maker, keep the ends for stock. Otherwise, dispose of them.
- Mix the butter and seasonings together.
- Toss the asparagus spears in the blend until they are evenly coated.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake at 400 F for 7 minutes
- Remove from the oven to top them with cheese
- Return to the oven for 3 more minutes
Notes
If you’re not fond of orange, use lemon instead. You can also swap out the Asiago for gouda or gruyere.
