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I've also used the tough ends to make soup with; the blender or food processor makes short work of the stringiness, and you can strain it if you're really obsessive. Cook 'em in chicken stock and maybe a little onion, shallot or leek, depending on what's around. Puree, return to pan, taste and think about what else you want. White pepper? Dill? Thyme? Toss that in and let simmer gently for 10 minutes or so. Add a little cream or whole milk, if you have it, check and adjust seasoning.

You can use this technique for just about any vegetable you can find. I've made turnip soup this way and it's amazing; people have no idea what it is but they love it.

My best friend serves a really simple side I like with asparagus. You roast potatoes and onions in chunks in some oil and seasoning of your choice. As they near done add the asparagus and roast til all is done. While still in the hot pan toss with some wedges of tomato and black or kalamata olives. Serve immediately. The different colors and shapes of the ingredients make for an eye-pleasing side and it is simple and tasty---though good luck finding good tomatoes right now, I know I can't.

I second (third?) the roasting option. I love it simply roasted.
You can't go wrong with asparagus in my book.....enjoy!

one of my favorite way of using asparagus is in an omelette on ..steam asparagus first (especially if you like it limp) then cut up and put in a pan pour in some eggs (whisk eggs with with milk, s& p, garlic powder and grated cheese) pour into pan with asparagus and make an omelette--and then I put on really good Italian bread....
You can also roast asparagus in the oven...light olive oil, s&p, and season it...425 for about 15 minutes or so..

An old favorite first course of mine--
Boil or steam asparagus to your liking and chill (the asparagus..)
Whip up an orange mayonnaise-- from scratch, if you like, but I usually use Hellman's, into which I wisk some orange juice concentrate (this maintains the consistency of the mayo) and some freshly grated orange zest (lemon zest, too, sometimes...)
Incredibly simple but really delicious-- a variation, I guess, of the classic orange hollandaise ("sauce Maltaise") in Julia Child...
Works well as a nice party veggie dip variation as well.

I do a version of @jimthecook's. I seam the asparagus and serve it with Kewpie mayonnaise mixed with a little yuzu juice. (Kewpie is a Japanese brand of mayonnaise that's a bit more savory, and much creamier, than Hellman's. Yuzu is a japanese citrus fruit and all but impossible to find in the US, but you can find bottles of it in some specialty stores and on Amazon. It's hard to explain the flavor, but there's nothing like it. It's kind of lemony but really fruity and less sharp. I'm addicted to it. - Forgive me for explaining this if you already know what these specific products are, but some people don't and better safe than sorry).

I make a dish with hard-boiled quail eggs (regular would do) with goat cheese bacon and asparagus. I'm not sure if it's a side or salad or what but its rich and yummy. It was a similar thing where I had gotten asparagus and then had no clue what to do, so I just used what I had in my fridge (at the time just a shelf because I was dorming).

Hurry up, run to the trash can, and throw it out. Do this very quickly. No one should ever have Asparugus in their house. EVER.

Toss with some sesame oil, salt, and pepper then cook it on the BBQ. It takes 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness and how well you like it done. Tastes great and is always a hit with everybody.

@chisai ~ Ponzu shoyu? Impressed? Found it on wiki.....haha. Sounds wonderful!

@chisai, making ponzu is a bit intimidating and I haven't tried it yet (takes months), but I found an easy recipe. (though I haven't tried this one either)

Easy homemade ponzu (stolen from cookpad)

100 ml yuzu, sudachi or kabosu juice
150 ml mild rice vinegar
150 ml soy sauce
100 ml sake
75 ml mirin
2 "grab"s of bonito flakes
3 pieces dashi konbu (dried kelp)

1) boil sake and mirin (to evaporate alcohol)
2) put everything in a bottle refrigerate. wait for ~1week for the flavors to develop.

I think Kikkoman's bottled ponzu, which is the only available one around here, is pretty good.

A very versatile, quick & easy improv pasta sauce that's good either hot or cold - some sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, with some of the oil reserved + asparagus trimmed & cut into pieces + a little finely chopped garlic, a little thyme + basil, and if you've got some mushrooms, garbanzos, and/or leftover chicken or ham, throw it in too (or make some bacon). Grate some Romano or Parmigiana over the top, or add some chopped smoked mozzarella (leave out the smoked meats). (This is also good with zucchini or summer squash, artichokes, peas, etc. instead of the asparagus.)

Make an Alfredo sauce, add asparagus tips, some nutmeg and if you've got some on hand, throw in some smoked salmon, or some ham or prosciutto. To make it a little different than Alfredo, use some goat or blue cheese instead of the Parmigiana.

Add to Tabbouleh - I like Ina Garten's recipe from "Barefoot Contessa Parties!," which you can find here.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tabbouleh-recipe/index.html

Try Martha Stewart's Sesame Asparagus:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/sesame-asparagus?autonomy_kw=sesame%20asparagus&rsc=header_1

@chisai, I think what you make works well for most applications, but for really delicate stuff like fugu you do need the roundness of the aged ponzu.
That, with momiji oroshi (=grated daikon radish with chili pepper) is heavenly. sorry I am so off from this topic.. I'll stop.

I'm with the GrimChef. Fire up the Barbie and grill em. When in doubt, Grill it!!