Delicious Roasted Asparagus (and other weird vegetables)
Archibald
Do you have any vegetables that you never cook because you just have no idea what to do with them? I think we do that more than we realize. If we didn’t grow up eating it or haven’t ever seen anyone cook it, we just walk on by without even noticing. I used to have two vegetables like that but now I’m down to only one because thanks to this recipe, asparagus is no longer just one of my favorite Veggie Tales characters, it is also something mouth wateringly delicious (Sorry Archibald!).
Now some of you, who have been eating asparagus all of your life, may be surprised to find it was pretty much a foreign obstacle to me and my entire family (including grandparents) until recently. Several weeks back while I was in Ecuador I posted some photos of new-to-me foods on my Facebook page and someone commented that they were surprised I didn’t have a more “sophisticated palate”. That made me giggle to read because at no point in my life have I ever set out to have a sophisticated palate!
Many of you know my story by now: I’m a mama with a home ec degree who likes to feed people and enjoys cooking. I’m not a foodie or a chef – I’m a mama and a cook. My food isn’t about venturing to new places for exotic food experiences, it’s about bringing your family home to gather around the dishes from our heritage.
Having said that, though, I don’t object to adding to that heritage from time to time.
Last November, I was talking to my friend Jyl about our menu plans for Thanksgiving dinner and I asked her what her most requested dish was. She told me it was asparagus. I responded with “Asparagus? But what do you DO with it?”
“Oh I roast it!”
I decided that if it was that big of a deal on her family dinner table it had to be something good. I bought some that week and figured I’d make it for supper one night but it got to getting the best of me as I went to bed and I spent most of the night trying to imagine what it could possibly taste like. The next morning I was standing over a pan of freshly roasted asparagus at around 4:45 AM – and it sure was good! I ate the entire thing. Needless to say, I wasn’t hungry by the time the kids got up for breakfast!
We ended up having this for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and several dinners in betwixt and since then. It’s terribly easy to make and just delicious. Even though there is no butter involved, this asparagus ends up tasting buttery, with flavors of the garden and just the right touch of salt.
I’m glad I tried it and I’m sure it will be a staple in the Jordan family for generations to come.
Is there a vegetable you’ve never tried? If so, why not? No judging here! If you think something looks or sounds weird that’s reason enough for me! Tell me about it in the comments below – and be sure and try this wonderful side dish first chance you get!
Oooh! Let me show you how easy this is to make!
You’ll need: Kosher Salt, Olive Oil, and Asparagus.
Kosher salt really is amazing and it doesn’t cost much at all so I have gotten to where I keep it in hand here lately. Olive Oil is pretty expensive, so I go for generic whenever I can get it and have no qualms whatsoever about substituting vegetable oil in a pinch.
Generic olive oil has the same amount of self esteem as name brand olive oil as long as you don’t talk ugly about it where it can hear you.
Okay, so here is what you do. This is a piece of asparagus and we want to snap the end off. We’ll actually end up snapping the bottom two to three inches off but there is a part where it will snap really easy so we gotta find that by just bending it 2-3 inches from the end and seeing if it snaps easy. If it doesn’t, go up another inch and it should.
Like this.
Please note that this is a two handed operation here, but I’m trying to be all ninja mama so I can get a photo of it broken for you.
After you get all of the ends snapped off, spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet (or a jelly roll pan).
Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with kosher salt.
Bake this at 425 for about twenty minutes, stirring it once in the middle, until it is just lightly browned.
And that’s all there is to it – Eat up!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Wash Asparagus and break off bottom two inches or so of each stalk.
- Arrange on rimmed baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Place in oven for about 20 minutes, stirring once, until lightly browned on the edges.
Print This Recipe
Are there any vegetables that you have never tried?
I’d love to hear which ones in the comments below!
I have one vegetable left (that I know of) that I’ve never tried and that is artichokes. No idea what to do with those things but anytime someone tells me how to eat them it just seems like an awful lot of effort for very little return. If you have a fabulous way to prepare artichokes let me know in the comments and I just might give it a try one of these days!
“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want,
but the realization of how much you already have.”
~Anonymous
Submitted by Janet. Thank you, Janet!
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Apr 22 2012. Filed under Side Dishes.
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I haven’t ever eaten kale.
Hmm, I wonder if I have? lol I have no idea!
I have….purple kale makes the most wonderful chips.
Brussel Sprouts
Ooh I love brussel sprouts any way you cook ‘em! But I know a lot of folks who really detest them.
Brussel sprouts are great, but you have to cook them right. Boiling them makes people want to slap the cook and run away. Oven or pan roasting is definitely the way to go, and there are plenty of great recipes out there. Asparagus are AWESOME oven roasted. You can take the thin baby ones and roast till totally crispy as a snack. SO good. They are also terrific in seafood pasta dishes.
We love them roasted just like the asparagus. I also do a fake roast by zapping them in the microwave about 3 minutes and then brown them in olive oil in a very hot iron skillet. YUM. Don’t ever try frozen. Fresh is the only way to go.
This is wonderful with some grated Parmesan and a squirt of lemon juice. I grew up eating canned asparagus and hated it. I discovered roasted asparagus and never looked back.
My husband loves just about anything with parmesan, I’ll have to try it!
I recently roasted brussel sprouts and they were wonderful. ( The husband had a Yankee mom and thinks most green stuff other than green beans is gross!) Kale is next on my list of foods to try. Christy go for the artichoke dip at Chili’s – you will like it.
I love this method and also use it for zucchini, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms. I like to add fresh herbs, like rosemary and thyme as well. My husband would once not touch anything green like asparagus, broccoli, or zucchini. Now he likes them and loves it when I prepare vegetables like this.
Bev, could you please give us approximate cooking times for the various vegetables you mentioned?
I cook most at 350 for about an hour. I add mushrooms or tomatoes about halfway through the cooking time because they don’t take as long. I cook all together in one roasting pan. For example, yesterday we had potatoes, zucchini, amd sliced mushrooms. Just be sure that the harder vegetables (the potatoes and zucchini in my example) are cut in approx. the same size pieces.
good tip Bev!!
This is a new vegi for us too. I’ve started cooking lots of vegis exactly like this, so much healthier! My current fav is cauliflower! (This sounds weird, but it reminds me of fried okra. I even dip it in ketchup, like fries. Could-eat-the-whole-pan kinda good!)
This is just the way we do it, except in summer, we put them on the BBQ grill in one of those vegetable grilling pans. I will also lightly season slices of sweet potato to do this way – inside or out. Quick cooking and yummy.
Try whisking the juice of a lemon and a bit of minced garlic in with the olive oil, then drizzle over the asparagus. Salt and pepper to your liking and roast .
This is my family’s favorite side item with grilled steaks.
(from a Southern Living recipe)
I loved you before but NOW I am totally in love!! I attended a baby shower several years ago and this was served. However the Hostess would not share her cooking secrets. I was so sad because it was the one and only time I had ever eaten asparagus and just couldn’t figure out how she got it salty/buttery. Thank you Christy for being such a terrific friend and sharing with us. Heading to the grocery store when I get off work to purchase my first batch and will be enjoying this tonight!!!
I do this frequently .. I also add sliced almonds..my kids love them that way.
you can add red and yellow bell pepper to this too, it is delicious…it is a biggest loser receipe…
A few weeks ago out Albertson’s store here had them on sale for 99 cents. I could not get enough of them. That is how I cook with olive oil, salt and sometimes Parmesan cheese. Love them.
Thank you for posting this! I’m on phase one of South Beach and I need new I ideas and I love asparagus! One question… what is the vegetable that you have never tried? I don’t know if you said it and I missed it
She said it was artichokes. : )
haha thank you:) I am not with it today
I haven’t tried:
brussel sprouts
kale
artichokes
another asparagus recipe that we love…….wrap each peice with bacon and roast on foil lined baking pan till asparagus is tender and bacon is cooked.
Asparagus has never been one of my favorites. I will try it this way. This is how I fix broccoli and cauliflower so next time I will do some asparagus…this method makes anything good…
In addition to roasting, which I love, I also will boil mine just til I can insert a knife in the end. Then transfer to a long shallow dish. Add lemon juice and soy sauce to taste and referigerate. Toss gently a few times so that all the spears have a chance to “bathe” in the juice. Drain juice and serve cold. I do this early in the day so it has a chance to get good and cold. Also very good with green beans, broccoli or cauliflower florets, all served cold. Sometimes I add some toasted sesame seeds in as well. In the summer when the asparagus spears are thicker, try them on a well-oiled grill! Yum yum!
I have not ever been in the company of someone prepareing artichoke or eating one…any suggestions?
Christy, I also marinate veggies with balsamic vinegar, squeeze of lemon, olive oil, garlic, onions, salt and pepper, then grill in oven or on BBQ grill, adding butter at that time. When doing the brussel sprouts I cut them in half first mmmmm mmmmmm good!
Christy, after 57 yrs. of not eating asparagus, I discovered it in the past year. This recipe has become a regular in my home…my husband and I love it! I sometimes add 8 oz. whole mushrooms,quartered, and a little fresh ground black pepper. YUM! YUM! Makes a great side anytime, especially with a juicy steak! SO LOW CAL PLUS GOOD FOR YOU!!
Sue, don’t you just hate it when someone won’t share a recipe that you enjoy?! I think that’s just selfish. If someone enjoys something I’ve cooked enough to want the recipe, I gladly give it. It makes me feel great! Christy thanks for sharing so many of yours with us. In the summer when there’s a nice plentiful variety of veggies, I like to cut up all different kind (whatever you like), place them in a bowl with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt, pepper, basil and oregano, let it marinate for 1/2 an hour then spread them on a pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 40 mins. (more or less depending on how big the pile of veggies are). Stir them once or twice during cooking. As soon as the plate hits the table they disappear! Dennis, thanks for the tip of topping with Parmesan, I never thought of that, will try it next time.
I’ve made this before, added some balsamic vinegar and low sodium soy sauce after roasting…YUM! Christy, my question is this: How does that jelly roll pan of yours in the picture still look so nice and new? My pans always have cooked on, almost sticky oil residue left on them and never clean up the same again :/
You might like to try roasted asparagus wrapped with salami. You roast the asparagus first and then when it cools down a bit wrap salami or prosciutto around it and serve it warm or spread cream cheese on the salami or prosciutto before wrapping them. Left overs can be microwaved. I love trying different roasted asparagus recipes. My husband only liked canned asparagus but loves the way I fix fresh now.
Oh, I will have to try that Sarah!!
Christy, I forgot one main ingredient with the asparagus & mushrooms….Minced GARLIC…How did I forget the garlic??? I don’t know….I certainly don’t forget it when cooking….It makes EVERYTHING taste better! LOL! Also, good for you!
True Cindy!!
I love love love asparagus but only ever buy it in season here in the uk as it is just scrummy. A friend said to me last year that she had never considered eating it as it was for posh people!!
LOL, I hope she tries it soon, she just doesn’t know what she is missing!!
I prepare my fresh asparagus and saute with a little garlic in some olive oil. At the very end I add just a dab of butter for flavor. Place on a platter and grate fresh Parmesan on it. Fantastic! I love roasted veggies, but a hot oven for that long would really heat up my house. Sauteing is much quicker and cooler! Either way, it’s yummy!
Yummy!!!
Love, love, love asparagus – grilled or roasted – just make sure it’s not grilled too much! I’ve turned my family (and new family) on to so many vegetables. We are regulars with cauliflower (and cauliflower mashed potatoes), brussel sprouts, asparagus . . . . and I love adding spinach to so many dishes – it not only makes the recipe go a lot further, but it’s healthy, too. But something I’ve not tried is kale . . . . Rachael Ray raves over it . . . . jicama, nor arugula. Those are some things I want to try!
I haven’t tried Kale yet either Angie.
Christy, I hadn’t tried kale until last year…I made the copycat recipe for zuppa tuscana at olive garden. I love how the kale holds up in the soup. I recommend making that soup ya’ll it’s so good!
Anywhoo I used the left over kale by chopping it, sauteeing it in olive oile with a clove of minced garlic…just enough to wilt it. YUM! Also did this with rainbow chard…first time ever and it was really good.
I wish I liked beets…they look interesting but taste like dirt. LOL
Angie, please tell me about the cauliflower mashed potatoes, that sounds yummy! Jicama is a root veggie. I just peel mine and slice it into little ‘chips’ and eat it with salsa, or spinach dip. It is a wonderful replacement for potato chips/tortilla chips. I have never cooked with it before, but using it as a raw snack is delicious. Now, if only Christy will figure out what on earth we do with those unfriendly little artichokes we will have it made.
My parents grew up as share-crop farmers in deep in S. GA. Before my mother died at 92 she showed me the aspargus STILL GROWING in a field out in the country that used to be her grandmother’s little shack. Mom said they cut aspargus there every Spring and it was a real treat for them. Fast forward to my childhood… Aspargus was so expensive in the store that we didn’t eat it often as I was growning up. It was a treat due to it’s expense. Now in modern times with aspargus grown and shipped from all over the place it’s inexpensive and available all year long….Yay!!! As long as I can remember asparagus has been my favorite veggie.
Oh WOW! That is so neat Elizabeth!!
I make it the same way except I use garlic salt!
Oh yummy, I have to try it!
That’s exactly how we cook ‘em, except the make bundles of 8-10 spears and wrap them in the middle with bacon, because…well, it’s bacon. My wife likes them steamed over lemon water, as well.
Love our brussels sprouts as well, also with bacon (shocker, I know) sauteed in olive oil to tan, then poached in good chicken stock with the bacon and some diced sweet onion until cooked through but still firm.
As a boy who grew up in a “boil them in salt water till they’re mush” kinda house…it took me 30 years to try them again. Now, it’s my favorite veggie, lol.
LOL, too funny Perry! I am glad you did try them again. I love it now!!
Oh I love asparagus! I use this method but we throw them on the grill. Of course, we always end up losing a spear down the into the fire, but I always think that maybe that one wasn’t as tasty as the rest anyway.
I really want to try kale chips, as my friends have raved about them. Now, what can you do with an eggplant?? I never seem to be able to get it right!
I also love aparagus and used to pick it wild on the side of the road in Eastern Washington. I pickled some a couple of years ago, and it was just so good! I have never eaten parsnips or sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes). When I was in Tennessee a few years ago, the woman we were staying with told us her mother used to feed them poke week. I haven’t tried that either. We don’t have poke weed here in the Northwest that I know of. I am not sure that I would try to eat it even if we did have it…
I grow asparagus in the garden and it has become one of my favorite things to eat, any way you cook it. It’s great on the grill as well. Also try a little Italian dressing on it instead of the olive oil. Super duper food.
Aaron, I have tried growing asparagus a few times here in NC, but have never had any luck. Would you be able to shed some light on how you achieve success? It would be the highlight of my gardening ‘career’ to bring in asparagus from the garden!
Yum! Roasting is my favorite way to eat asparagus. It really shines!
Try roasting whole stalks as Christy explained, or stir-frying asparagus cut into 2″ pieces. Use the olive oil and kosher salt, but add a couple of shakes of red pepper flakes–mmmm–just the right spiciness!
My neice brought this for Easter Dinner. They were great.
Christy – As good as asparagus is roasted, it also delicious grilled! Next time you have it fired up, try preparing the asparagus the same way (salt, pepper, olive oil) and just rolling them on the grate for a couple of minutes. They get a little char and are absolutely delicious!! (Just be careful to make sure they don’t fall through the grill grates!).
Also, your same roasting method works great for broccoli and cauliflower florets. I love them with a little sprinkle of parmesan as quickly as they come out of the oven so it melts on top…
Hope you are doing great! I love your blog… Very glad you are staying away from the guinea pigs, too : )
Recently I was at a gathering where everyone brings a dish. A guest had brought fresh aspargus in a zippered bag with olive oil, salt and pepper. She rolled the asparagus around in the bag, then popped the spears on a jelly roll pan and roasted at 425 degrees for 15 minutes…so easy and a hot veggie for a crowd !! She said you can have it ready in the zippered bag for 24 hours in advance.
I love asparagus cooked this way…love it with eggs for breakfast too. Asparagus, it’s not just for dinner.
We went into an oriental grocery store last week, there are so many vegt.’s in there that I want to know about how to use ? or cook ? If you like I’ll make a list. lol
There are several great ways to cook Asparagus – roasting is my favorite, however, I like to use lemon infused olive oil (O is my favorite brand), lemon zest and coarse sea salt. This is a Spanish style recipe and I teach it in the Barcelona class. Also, pan saute in butter and put fresh grated parmesan cheese (Not from the green can….the real stuff). I’ve taught this recipe with an Italian class. These are two quick and easy ways…
I haven’t eaten butternut squash. What do you do with it? How do you pick it out?
Treat it and choose it like any winter squash, roast it add brown sugar and butter if you wish and yummy!
Christy, I roast asparagus all the time. Sometimes I sprinkle garlic powder on top and other times I sprinkle dry parmeasan cheese /on top.
It wonderful!!
I don’t believe there’s a vegetable I haven’t tried unless it is some very specialized ethnic one that I just haven’t had the opportunity to try. But I would if I could! Roasting veggies adds a depth of flavor that is so different from other cooking methods. Melissa and others who mentioned kale chips – try them! Even weight watchers approves them for snacking. Kale is also good sautéed like spinach; ditto for swiss chard. We only ate frozen spinach growing up – no other greens – but I love them all now that I’m cooking them fresh. Oh yeah, even if you dont care for beets try them roasted too; hubby doesn’t like beets but likes them roasted. Ironically, cooked peas is the one veggie I just won’t eat. Pea pods, sugar snaps, raw or sautéed, I love but a bowl of peas – YUK!
jicama , I think that is how you spell it.
white radishes, what do you do with them and how do you pick them out ?
Jicama is not really a radish of any sort, pick fresh, dense Jicama, peel the brown outer skin off, slice and add to a salad, nice and crunchy.
I like to toss in some sesame seeds, if I am feeling really fancy I use some sesame seed oil too…
rutabaga. Not a clue what I would do with it. But I’m going out at lunch time today to get some asparagus. Sounds so yummy!
Rutabaga is like sort of like a turnip in flavor, only denser, roast them or add to a stew, great flavor in a stew.
As with so many veges asparagus is fabulous as long as you don’t overcook it. We eat ours lightly steamed, or stir fried.
Artichokes are wonderful, but yes a lot of work to eat. You can get fancy and stuff them, but really it is easiest to steam them.
First grab your kitchen shears and snip the sharp points off each leaf you can get loose. ( You want to choose artichokes that are not brown, and are very fresh, heavy for their size and tightly holding themselves together.)
Then rinse well, cut the brown end off the stem. ( cut the stem close to the head, but steam the stem too, it tastes great).
Now, place the chokes in a big pan with an inch or so of water, and steam well, it takes about 30-45 minutes depending on the size of your choke. Keep adding water as needed, keep a lid on the pan to keep in steam. They are done when dark green, and a leaf pulls off easily.
Now you drain the choke, and place on a large plate. You pull off a leaf, dip in mayo, or melted butter and lemon juice, while holding the narrow end, you pull the leaf between your teeth, pulling off the soft meat of the choke and the sauce. Eat the soft meat and discard the leaf, repeat until you reach the center of the choke and reach the fuzzy choke part of the artichoke. use the side a a spoon to scrape out that sharp fuzzy area leaving a thick bowl shaped piece of the artichoke meat that you can break up and eat.
Now easier ways to try you first artichokes, buy frozen, cook and eat without all the inedible portions. They do all the work for you and you just eat the good parts. You can order artichokes on pizza from some places, no work just yumm,. I love to chop them up (frozen, jarred or canned ones) and add to fresh spinach, steam the veges and add to scrambled eggs, or make into spinach artichoke dip. You can buy them in a jar at Aldi and just add to salads. Lots and lots of ways to enjoy a new vege, give it a try and let us know what you think!
I can’t think of a veggie I haven’t tried but I am sure there is something. I LOVE asparagus!! I like kale in a copy cat soup with italian sausage and taters like they have at Olive Garden. That soup was probably the first time I had ever had Kale and I was HOOKED! I make it at home now so I don’t have to go there just for the soup and salad. Cheaper and actually better when I make it at home and have lots of leftovers!!
I’ve never eaten ramps, dandelion greens or Morel mushrooms. (I would if I could find the morels.)