roasted asparagus on asparagus purée
Spread before me on my butcher block was a large bunch of thick, beautiful asparagus. I’m a big fan of this vegetable. Thick or thin, they always make me happy.
I like to quickly steam the pencil thin asparagus and then dress them in various ways according to my mood and according to what will be joining them on the plate. For the thicker stemmed variety, my favorite way to prepare them is to roast them. Again, the seasonings and possible garnishes will vary.
I was thinking about what I was going to do with these beauties while I started snapping off the bottoms, which I always do. But as the trimmings piled up I began to thinkd about how much delicious vegetable goodness was being wasted.
So, I turned that pile of stalk bottoms into an asparagus purée, upon which I arranged my gleamingly green, roasted asparagus. It was so good and it turned a simple vegetable dish into something special. It quickly became my favorite way to serve this vegetable.
Ingredients:
This recipe works best with large, thick stemmed asparagus.
a large bunch of asparagus with thick stalks
Butter as needed (you could use good olive oil or a nut oil)
a few pinches herbs de Provence
1 clove garlic, minced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
optional garnishes (see below)
Method:
Use a vegetable peeler to thinly remove the tough outer layer of the asparagus stalks, starting just below the tips and being careful not to damage them.
Snap off the tough ends of the stalks, at the spot where they naturally break. Trim ½ inch off the hard dry bottom of each one.
Put the asparagus bottoms in a saucepan with water to cover and a sprinkle of salt.
Bring the pot to a boil and simmer them until they’re very tender.
Drain them and put them into a food processor with a little knob of butter, a pinch of herbs de Provence, and one minced clove of garlic. Process the asparagus stalks, adding hot water as needed, just a spoonful at a time, to make a smooth thick purée. Set the purée aside.
Preheat the oven to 350º.
Use your fingers to rub the asparagus stalks with a little softened butter. Not a lot, just a very light coating.
Lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle them lightly with kosher salt. You can add a light sprinkle of garlic powder and/or another pinch of the herbs, or any other herb or spice that you’d like to use, but it’s not necessary to do so—they remain delicious with the simplest of preparations.
Roast the asparagus until they’re tender and starting to look roasted—a little browned on the edges. It should take about 15 minutes.
Spread the reserved purée on a serving plate—warm it in the microwave first if needed—and arrange the stalks over the purée and serve as is, or with a garnish.
Some ideas for garnishes include toasted breadcrumbs, chopped nuts of any kind, fresh herbs, grated parmesan cheese, or chopped hard boiled egg.