For every way to prepare great asparagus, there are at least eight ways to screw it up. I like asparagus, but the reason I don’t love it is because I’ve had far more asparagus-gone-wrong’s, than right’s. Too soggy, too tough, too stringy, too limp, too mushy – we’ve all made asparagus one or more of these ways. It’s easy to do!
Alison claims that she’s found the *perfect* way to cook asparagus. In my opinion, she’s gotten pretty darn close.
Alison’s asparagus method includes blanching the greens in a pot of boiling, salted water for 45 seconds (that’s it!). The asparagus must be on the thinner side for this to work. Not so thin that the top flops over, but not so thick that it doesn’t do a little wavering when you hold it up from the bottom. Once the 45 seconds are up, the asparagus can rest on a plate with paper towels to soak up excess water. Plate the greens and drizzle with a mixture of olive oil, salt, grated garlic and aleppo pepper, and of course, flaky sea salt. The flavor is subtle. The asparagus (asparagi?) are still crunchy, but not tough. They’re a beautiful bright green, and taste as fresh as they look…
The longer I think about it, the more I’m inclined to agree that it is the perfect asparagus.
81 recipes cooked, 144 to go.
