Roasted Asparagus with Orange Walnut Gremolata

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Vegetables are so much more exciting when you see how each of them grows. I remember visiting a farm with my parents and being amazed by the way brussels sprouts grow on those long stalks. And I’d thought they only came as little, uniform-sized balls, frozen in little square boxes… then again, didn’t all vegetables come in little square frozen boxes?

I actually liked those frozen vegetables of my childhood, but when I discovered what each of them tasted like, fresh from the farm, I was blown away.

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. I love the way they just pop out of the ground with no branches or leaves or fronds; no pretense. It’s like they’re just saying,

“Hineini.”

“Here I am.”  

The way I most often cook them is simple and delicious—dressed with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, often a touch of garlic (because everything is better with garlic), and popped into the oven for a few minutes until tender-crisp.

This recipe takes that simple formula and, with the addition of the bright, sunny flavors of orange and herbs mingling with earthy bits of walnut, hoists it to the next level.

This quick gremolata uses five ingredients (plus salt and pepper) and comes together with just a few pulses of the food processor. I created this asparagus as a part of this menu for parashat behaalotcha, but they could proudly stand alone or serve as a side for just about any entrée I can think of.

Roasted Asparagus with Orange Walnut Gremolata

Ingredients:

• 1—2 lbs fresh asparagus

  (you can use thick or skinny ones, according to your preference and what’s available)

• A pinch each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder

• Optional: a pinch of Aleppo pepper for a gentle touch of heat and amazing flavor

•  1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 1—2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

• 2 garlic cloves

• The finely grated zest of one organic orange (I use a microplane)

• ½  teaspoon kosher salt

• A couple grinds of black pepper

• ½ cup walnut pieces

• 1 teaspoon walnut oil, plus a bit more for the asparagus

 Method:

• Preheat the oven to 375°

  Note: If you have other things in the oven that require a different temperature, no worries. The asparagus will be fine. They will just roast a little faster or slower, accordingly. 

• Trim asparagus by snapping off the ends. They tend to naturally snap at the spot that separates the tender stalks from the woody part. If they are very thick you might want to peel the stalks (avoiding the tips) with a vegetable peeler, to make them more tender, but this isn’t absolutely necessary.

• Rub them with a bit of walnut oil—enough to dress them without leaving them dripping. Sprinkle them very lightly with salt (kosher, or a specialty salt, work best), pepper, and a touch of garlic powder. A pinch of Aleppo pepper, which can’t be compared in flavor to any other pepper, is lovely here.

• Lay the asparagus in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast them until they reach your desired level of tenderness. (Some people prefer them soft and others like them to retain a bit of bite.) The time will vary according to their thickness, so start checking them after 10 minutes. You can hold one stalk to the side of the pan as a tester. Take a bite and decide if you want to continue roasting them or if you want to leave them a bit longer.

• While the asparagus are roasting, finely chop all ingredients for the gremolata together. You can use a heavy knife or a food processor, but be careful to use only the pulse feature, as you don’t want to create a paste.

• Then stir in 1 teaspoon of walnut oil

• Remove the asparagus from the pan and either set them on a serving plate, family style, or arrange some stalks on each dinner plate if you’re plating the meal.

• Sprinkle them with some of the Orange Walnut Gremolata.

Save any remaining gremolata to use on just about anything—meats, fish, or vegetables. 

It will keep for a few days, covered in the fridge.