Sometimes the most simple methods can create the best dishes – this is one of those recipes. To get more bang for your buck, peel the lower stalks after you snap the asparagus. Trim off any fibrous ends, and discard any too-tough pieces; cook peeled stalks alongside tips. (Works for broccoli stems, too!)

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. fresh asparagus
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lemon

Snap asparagus at its weakest point, trim and peel stalks (if using), and wash thoroughly. Pat with a clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture, and set aside to air-dry completely.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with hands to ensure that all surfaces are liberally coated.

Bake at 500 degrees* for 10 minutes, or until tips are caramelized. Serve immediately.

*Olive oil will smoke at this temperature; if you have safflower oil available, you may wish to use that instead.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Image by Frederick Hansen

I am not a big vegetables person. I love my salads for lunch and raw carrot snacks, but I tend to forget about making a vegetable with dinner. This recipe gets around that nicely, by making vegetables that I love into the main part of the dish. This originally served as a sauce for chicken, but is delicious over pasta as well. It’s also fabulous reheated the next day.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Asparagus Cream Sauce with Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients :

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 large portobello mushroom caps, washed and coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, cleaned
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
• 8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 large fresh basil leaves, whole
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook mushroom pieces in butter, stirring frequently, until they reduce in size and the juices have accumulated in the pan. Reduce heat to very low and allow mushrooms to remain in pan, warming, while other ingredients are prepared.

Chop half of the tomatoes into small pieces and add to food processor with garlic, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1/2 cup milk. Process until smooth, and add to mushrooms in pan. Increase temperature to medium-high. Whisk in remaining milk and cream, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

While cream is cooking, discard asparagus bottoms and slice stalks into 3/4″ pieces. Slice remaining tomatoes in half. Add sliced tomatoes, asparagus, and whole basil leaves to pan, and cook, without stirring, until asparagus is tender. Remove from heat and discard basil. Add parmesan cheese and stir until thoroughly combined.

Serves 4-6 over chicken or 2-3 over pasta.