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stoked

Recipe: roasted asparagus

I love waking up at first light and peeking from our master bedroom loft out at the mountains. I like seeing what the weather is doing or has done: snow, rain, clouds, sun, wind (this one not so much), frost. This morning was quite the treat because it snowed and was still snowing! I would have had my boots in hand, ready to head out the door for some skiing, but I had a lunch date in Boulder. I did manage to get a 1.5 hour workout instead, so I don’t feel too deprived :)

On the way down, I realized that my town was mantled in lovely white with diffuse sun gracing us. You never know if this is the last opportunity for many months or if we’ll get a repeat performance in a couple of days… Have camera, will shoot.


this sight makes my heart soar: it’s snow and it’s home



Kellie and I went to Brasserie 1010 for lunch. Oddly enough, everyone I know calls it Brassiere 1010 or the Bra. It has terrific food and moderate to crap service. I just love getting out when I’m feeling better, love to meet up with friends and keep a finger on the pulse of Boulder – a vibrant and bustling town about 1/2 a season ahead of us who live in the sticks.

i started with a cup of french onion soup

kellie’s steak frites

my three sliders



The soup hit the spot for me. Unfortunately, I think it filled me up. I thought the sliders would be smaller and wound up eating half of two – which equals one slider. No worries, Jeremy will gladly finish them off later. It was just too much food. My eyes are way the hell bigger than my stomach is now. However, I am now obsessed with making small buns to do some sliders of my own because I have that small servings fascination. Aren’t they cute? The plate had a french dip, hamburger, and meatball slider. That meatball was bleeping huge. Why do they call them sliders? Our waitress sucked.

After lunch I ran some errands and then did a little research for a future post. Neato.

On the way home, driving up the canyon, I pulled over just before the Narrows where the canyon… narrows, and steepens but it’s a dicey place to pull over. I like the smell of the air when it snows. More than that, I love the look of the canyon after a snow or a freezing fog. It looks like candy to me, it makes me want to walk and breathe the cold air.


boulder creek rambles past



Remember my rant against skinny asparagus? I procured some fat asparagus spears recently. If I don’t plan to eat the asparagus right away, I usually put the bases in a vessel of water in the fridge. If there isn’t room for that, then I’ll wrap the bases of the stalks in wet paper towels and plastic.

fresh



After rinsing the spears, I snapped the woody ends off into the compost and tossed the asparagus with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some lemon zest.

a little zing from the zest



I love how roasting turned the asparagus a brilliant deep green color. The stalks were juicy and sweet – practically a meal in itself. Jeremy gave them a thumbs up and liked the added twist of the lemon zest. I was just happy to nosh on some spring vegetables, even if it means asparagus pee down the road.

get that spring on



Roasted Asparagus
[print recipe]

2 lbs. fat asparagus spears, washed and trimmed
2-3 tbsps olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 425Β°F. Toss asparagus with remaining ingredients until spears are well-coated. Lay asparagus on a baking sheet or in a baking pan in a single layer. Roast in oven for 18-20 minutes (for fat spears – reduce time for skinny spears). Serve hot.

25 nibbles at “stoked”

  1. peabody says:

    Oh that French Onion Soup looks good. I do love it so. But I too find it tends to fill me up and then I am left with a dinner/lunch with no room for it.

  2. zoe / puku says:

    yummy roast asparagus! but with snow outside? you do need to get your spring on!

  3. Nicisme says:

    I’m sure I can smell that lemon from here! Delicious.
    PS. We got snow here – yep – SNOW!!! Only for 1 day, but it was so wonderful! (In April… madness!)

  4. manggy says:

    Your pics make the food look exquisite. I’m making believe the soup and sliders are from a Michelin-starred restaurant!

    “Why do they call them sliders? Our waitress sucked.”
    Bwahaha, I love this. Non sequitur-ish. Try this: http://www.cheese-burger.net/stories/sliders-mini-burgers.html
    It doesn’t have an explanation but it does pinpoint the exact origin of the term :)

    Actually even if I left my toes in Boreal, breathing in the cold air didn’t bother me. I thought at first my lungs would crystallize and shatter with a small tap on my chest (uh… Okay, that can’t happen).

    The asparagus spears look perfect… The last time I tried that I cooked them for too long and waited to eat them too long, so they were wilted and cold, yeech :p

  5. Sarah says:

    That french onion soup looked amazing! And I love the smell of snow too…too bad I never see any anymore!

  6. Patricia Scarpin says:

    Nothing beats fresh asparagus. This is just delicious!

  7. Tom says:

    Mmm, I do love roasted asparagus…or broiled asparagus…or grilled asparagus. I love the concentrated, caramelized flavors created by dry cooking asparagus. So much so, in fact, that I never boild or steam my asparagus. I wish I could say the same for my dad, though. He was raised on floppy, boiled asparagus and refuses to make it any other way.

  8. Maureen says:

    Great to see a snowy view, but I hope it’ll be done before we get there in May. I know that can be iffy.

    Grilled or roasted asparagus is almost a whole ‘nother vegetable. Asparagus pee is a very small price to pay tho it always makes me smile that such a yummy veggie has such a weird side effect. ;-)

  9. Christine says:

    Jen – all the bra dishes look great. I love the arugula salad with the steak frites. Ohhh, frites…
    Asparagus made this way is sublime. I love it with some parmesan shavings too. Yummy.

    The photo of Boulder creek is stunning. You’re such a trooper to pull over to take that shot. I am rarely that gutsy. Luckily, Pierre is way more fanatical about shooting nature so he will gladly pull over, danger-schmanger.

  10. LyB says:

    French onion soup is the best! I usually make it as a main dish, it’s just so satisfying. And those asparagus are totally gorgeous, I love asparagus!

  11. Tbot says:

    I love the simplicity of this recipe.
    And now I having suCH a craving for asparagus and fries.
    Incidentally, I saw a recipe for tofu fries – probably (?) a healthier alternative?

  12. Mia says:

    Mmmmmm asparagus. I find that the skinny ones are good for the grill, though – or maybe I just like that I don’t have to wait so long for them to be properly cooked through….

  13. Hillary says:

    I love spring – that is some BEAUTIFUL asparagus!

  14. Shoshanna says:

    Oh good! A different take on asparagus. I have three bunches that I bought at the local farm market. Yum.

    I have the pork chops out and marinating; soon it will be grilled per your recipe a couple days ago! Can’t wait. :)

  15. Cheryl says:

    This is my favorite way to cook asparagus! My grandmother told me how to do it years ago, and you won’t believe how many times since then that I’ve just stood there in the kitchen and eaten it straight out of the pan. LOL It’s THAT good!

  16. Kevin says:

    That was a tasty looking meal. Roasting asparagus is one of my favorite ways to enjoy it.

  17. Tartelette says:

    Wow! That meal sure looks perfect! I would make just one out of these asparagus…cookes to perfection! So, my inner geek is wondering, is it one asparagus , two asparaguses….and then B. tries to tell me that French does not make sense…ahahah!

  18. jenyu says:

    Peabody – yeah, FOS has mega calories, but I think they’re all worth it :)

    Zoe – it’s okay, I like the snow :) really I do!

    Nicisme – wow, snow over there? That’s awesome!

    Mark – ooh, thanks for the history on that! I’m just too lazy to find it myself – I know I can always count on you :) Yes, there is a false conventional wisdom that cold air is bad for your lungs or causes asthma. Actually, it’s dry air (but cold air is almost always dry). I find that fascinating because I tend to get bronchitis when I run outside in the winter – however it’s frightfully dry here in winter too. Our waitress did indeed suck. I don’t see how you could have possibly waited to eat roasted asparagus? I was nibbling on them straight out of the oven!

    Sarah – hey, someone else who likes the smell of snow! Bummer you don’t get it anymore :(

    Patricia – agreed!

    Tom – they really are so much sweeter, aren’t they? Boiled is sooo yesterday ;)

    Maureen – depends on when in May and where in the state. Some parts of Colorado are spanking gorgeous in May (the lower elevations). I think asparagus pee is a hoot! especially for asparagus virgins!

    Christine – now you can call yourself a local, cause you used the “bra” so naturally there :) I didn’t think of parmesan shavings – good thought! If you guys ever visit our neck of the woods, we’ll take you to some stunning landscapes and Pierre can shoot to his gazelle heart’s content!

    LyB – thanks and I have to agree on french onion soup.

    Tbot – oh yeah! White on Rice Couple had a post on tofu fries. Those guys so rock!

    Mia – I like the fat ones on the grill too, but I recently grilled some skinnies and they were fine. I think the fat ones are sweeter.

    Hillary – they really are a gorgeous vegetable.

    Shoshanna – Mmm, I hope the recipe works for ya!

    Cheryl – that’s classic!!

    Kevin – bang on, brother. And it doesn’t boil away all of those nutrients either!

    Tartelette – according to a quick web search, asparagus has no plural, so it is just asparagus :) You are so funny, you silly French woman! xxoo

  19. cindy says:

    Yep–that’s the way I do asparagus too! Sometimes I put a little grated parmesan or minced garlic on. We eat piles of them this time of year.

    Hoping your season stretches out as long as possible. We’re looking at the end of ours (sniff).

  20. Denise says:

    What a perfect day!! Thank you for sharing with us!

  21. jenyu says:

    Cindy – I do love asparagus when it’s in season :) Yeah, our season (the good part, anyway) is nearing its end too. Time for backcountry!

    Denise – thanks :)

  22. Priscilla says:

    I have been roasting asparagus for years. Mainly I make sandwichs with them on toasted and buttered sourdough bread. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Yummy!

  23. jenyu says:

    Priscilla – oh, that sounds fantastic. Thanks for the tip!

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