Your take on asparagus
Help! I have just now finished a six week kitchen reno and am putting things back into place - we have out of town company coming and I am cooking a Ina Garten recipe for roast chicken - prep work done, but I am seriously wondering if I have the intellectual ability to get my new stove going!! I was actually going to spend a day reading the instruction booklet and trying it out, but no time now.
I am also having asparagus and I need advice - there are two schools, some people just peel the skin from the woody ends and others say to bend the asparagus until there is a "natural" break - it sure seems like there is a lot of waste with that method, although I will save the stems for stock - can anyone tell me which method is correct, or does it matter? If I get the stove operational, I will roast them, otherwise boil them.
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30 Comments:
I go by sight, touch, and sound when I chop it, which falls toward the "natural break" camp. I've never thought of it as waste, since I really don't like chewing on fiber, unless it's sugar cane from the field.
As you mention above w/ putting it in stock, I use the green leftovers (cutting off light parts, if any) for cream of asparagus (+crab) soup.
Cassaendra at 12:12PM on 03/04/09
Natural break, in hot water for no more than 4 mins, ice bath, dry off and dress like with vingarette, salt and pepper.
JerzeeTomato at 12:25PM on 03/04/09
Natural break all the way. Even those who peel it still often trim the ends. It's not just the exterior that gets woody.
Stick it under the broiler or on the grill with olive oil plenty of salt and pepper until ti starts to brown. HEAVEN. You can finish with a squirt of lemon or a few shavings of parmesan.
BananaMonkey at 12:34PM on 03/04/09
I agree with BananaMonkey all the way only that I also add some red pepper flakes over them while they broil. So delicious...probably my favorite veggie.
mandoopandoo at 12:39PM on 03/04/09
Oooh. last night i made a fantastic tofu stirfry with asparagus. I know that won't go with your chicken. But asparagus is a wonderful treat in stirfry, particularly if it's the thin stalk sort. Last night i made it with firm tofu in, hoisin, chili black bean paste, some rice wine vinegar, soy, orange juice, garlic and plenty of ginger. Delicate and tasty and the flavour of the asparagus still came through.
Oh...love asparagus.
BananaMonkey at 12:46PM on 03/04/09
if its baby asparagus thats when the ends aren't woody. otherwise definately break. adding to stock sounds like a good idea
paynter at 1:05PM on 03/04/09
I break one and use that as my guide to cut the rest when I am in a hurry. My favorite way to prepare is steam or saute in oil and garlic, then sprinkle parmesan on it.
ddvierra68 at 1:20PM on 03/04/09
I break. If the asparagus is thick I'll also use a peeler up to about an inch before the tip starts, but it's got to be at least as thick as the bottom of my ring finger. @Jerzee's method is pretty much what I do also, though sometimes I'll serve with a yuzo/mayo dip/sauce instead of a vinegrette.
chisai at 1:48PM on 03/04/09
I break. I also don't buy thick asparagus, to be honest, so the waste is rather minimal. I usually roast it with olive oil, sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Alternatively, I steam it and then toss it in some kind of a vinaigrette, similar to @Jerz.
brooke29 at 2:02PM on 03/04/09
Natural break - it's easy and foolproof. Asparagus is so easy to cook - saute, steam, broil, bake are all tasty methods - and I also second BananaMonkey's recommendation. If you're going to boil, make it very brief - IMHO, it can take the taste out.
MMinNYC at 2:03PM on 03/04/09
Im a breaker myself. Its easy and never fails. I love to grill mine. Toss it in olive oil and add dash of salt and pepper.
ChefJeffSD at 2:14PM on 03/04/09
Use Ina Garten's recipe of roasted asparragus with parmesan cheese... great side dish.
MadelynRodriguez at 2:21PM on 03/04/09
Breaker here too - and second Ina's recipe!
Maureen at 2:26PM on 03/04/09
I am going to go off of your post title...My take on asparagus is that it is the worst, MOST AWFUL vegetable EVER. Plain terrible.
I hope I haven't angered anyone. I love other veggies instead. :-)
Butrflygirly at 2:39PM on 03/04/09
no break! i find it to be such a waste, just peel a little, thats more asparagus for everyone!
roasted, grilled, blanched, cooked any way but overcooked (hence mushy and smelly), asparagus are deeeeelish!
veggieout at 3:31PM on 03/04/09
For heavens sake, don't boil those asparagus...definitely roast or grill them -- much nicer flavor and texture. And I never break or peel, I actually cut about 1 inch off the bottom of the whole lot. But then again I always use the pencil-thin tender ones...so generally there isn't a whole lot of toughness or parts that need to be cut. If you are cooking thicker ones, you may want to peel.
juliebugsmama at 4:33PM on 03/04/09
Take your finger and place it on the tip, bend it till it breaks. That is the correct way to get the most flavor out of the stalk.
mike72 at 7:49PM on 03/04/09
I agree with juliebugs...olive oil and salt and pepper on the grill. Heavenly...my son will steal those bad boys right off your plate if they've been grilled. Thankfully, spring is just about here!
dhorst at 7:58PM on 03/04/09
if i have the time, i peel them.... because i love the way they look ... and you get more edibleness out of the precious stalk.
for the most part, i snap'em off where they break... saute in a little olive oil & garlic, or blanch and dress with olive oil, lemon .... or a dijon vinaigrette.
i like 'em grilled, steamed, roasted, blanched, broiled, boiled.... any which way is good.
pooch at 8:42PM on 03/04/09
I'm a peeler, myself; but I'll admit that it does take some effort.
Re: cooking: I have an old Revere Ware coffee pot that goes on the stove; it's perfect for cooking a large bunch of asparagus. Half-fill it with lightly salted water and place the stalks in bottom-first (of course). This way the stems are boiled and the tips, steamed. Perfect! - Any tall yet skinny vessel with a tight cover would do.
shaogo at 9:15PM on 03/04/09
I only peel the thick ones, and even then I don't always. As far as thick or thick, it depends on what I'm doing with them, and what's available.
As far as trim or break, I always break. It's foolproof and easy, and it's not a waste if you're trimming off something that you and your guests wouldn't want to eat. I've been in the unpleasant position where someone has trimmed asparagus, but left too much of the ends on, and suddenly I've got a mouthful of dry lawn clippings that I don't know what to do with. It's yukky to spit out a green hairball in polite company, but for me, it's really difficult to swallow that sort of fibery stuff.
If you're using the ends for stock, it's really not a waste. If you have a lot of aspargus ends you can cook them, puree and strain, and make a nice cream of asparagus soup.
dbcurrie at 9:15PM on 03/04/09
I do the natural break and don't bother peeling. Like others, I don't think of not using the tougher parts as wasting.
marieinla at 9:18PM on 03/04/09
I do the natural break too. If I leave those tough ends on, nobody eats them, and they're wasted anyway.
I love my asparagus roasted with lemon, s & p, and olive oil. Or grilled. Or stir-fried. Or cream of asparagus soup. Or stuffed in chicken breasts with monterey jack cheese. Or steamed and chilled and tossed with pears, walnuts and a nice vinegarette. This list could go on for a long time. I just love asparagus.
buffy at 10:48PM on 03/04/09
Natural break, more or less, or just slice across the entire bunch of asparagus at a guessed "natural break" point.
My fave is to lightly cook on stovetop in bacon grease, lightly sprinkled with garlic chunks.
Nursie at 2:13AM on 03/05/09
Natural break. That's the way mom did it. That's the way I do it.
I like to toss roasted asparagus in a warm mushroom vinaigrette with shallots and pecorino. We have that almost every Easter.
Amandarama at 7:27AM on 03/05/09
I slice, like Nursie, along a natural break.
I did just see Jacques Pepin cooking asparagus on his new PBS show, though, and he peeled. He said it looked better that way. However, he did say that if in a kitchen he had asked the cooks to peel rather than leave as is, they would have staged a revolt.
HeartofGlass at 10:34AM on 03/05/09
Natural break is best. I prepare with bare minimum of olive oil, salt, pepper and seasoned with a sprinkle of sesame oil, cooked on the grill and topped with toasted sesame seeds
thegoch at 7:54PM on 03/05/09
Oh please don't waste fresh asparagus by boiling it! I made it this way for years until my sister taught me the way Jerzee makes hers. Plus we shave a little reggiano on top when it's almost finished. Oh my.. sooo good.
floridagirl at 8:56PM on 03/05/09
Oops I meant like bananamonkey makes it. Jerzees sounds good too. I obviously can't talk to hubby and write at the same time.
floridagirl at 8:59PM on 03/05/09
roasted asparagus with toasted parmigiano reggiano OR olive oil and black pepper OR pureed blanched walnuts and carmelized red onions ... my three favs
kindageeky at 2:15AM on 03/07/09