enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

Asparagus

Spring is nearly here and our grocery store had asparagus bunches for $.79 last week which means, it's for sure asparagus season.When something is in season, it's not coming from the other side of the world and stores cannot move it fast enough to keep up with the heavy supply.

Stalks

This is our go to preparation these days (it works equally well for fresh green beans and Brussels sprouts too.)

First, rinse your asparagus and break the woody stem portion off each stalk (you can do this by just bending toward the bottom of the stalk. It will break naturally at the appropriate line. Discard the ends and save the top flowered portion.)

If your stalks are huge like these were, use a knife to splay each down the center to create smaller pieces, they'll cook much faster. If your stalks are thinner (which usually means they are more flavorful!) no need to cut them down. Throw the asparagus in a fry pan on the stove. Add some olive oil, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium.

After a few minutes throw in some slivered almonds and stir. After a few more minutes, thrown in some mustard and stir again. Grab a piece and taste! Taste perfect? You're done – throw in some shredded Parmesan cheese. Too chewy? Give it another minute or so to cook and then add your parm.

Serve on the side of anything and enjoy this super short but awesome asparagus season.

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29 responses to “how we do asparagus.”

  1. andrea Avatar
    andrea

    I love asparagus!! Too bas here in Switzerland we have to wait around 2-3 month before they grow locally. We can already buy some from overseas.
    I can’t believe how cheap they are where you bought them. We have to pay 8 to 11 dollar for a bunch. Even locally grown asparagus will be 6 to 8 dollar.
    I also like to cook it in the oven together with salmon, melted butter and fresh herbs. I wrap both in baking paper. That’s really delicious.

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  2. Allison Avatar

    Thanks for sharing – I love asparagus but for some reason I’m always scared to cook it. I haven’t had much luck in the past. This makes total sense though! This is more or less how I cook green beans and we have those probably 4-5 times a week. Are you going to try and grow asparagus? I think it may take longer than I’m prepared to wait on it.

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  3. Christine Avatar
    Christine

    Itching for fresh local produce here in the Midwest. Gonna try this. It sounds yummy. I cook asparagus, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, potatoes……you name it by shaking them in a bag with olive oil and seasoning then roasting them in the oven. 350. Time depends on veggie. Super easy. The sweetness of roasting really helped expand the list of veggies my teenager would eat.

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  4. MK Avatar
    MK

    Yum! Do you use powdered mustard or just plain yellow or what? I am thinking the stone ground would be great, but I would never have thought of mustard so I am unsure. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Katie Avatar
    Katie

    plain yellow mustard? Or dijon? Sounds so good!

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  6. a touch of domesticity Avatar

    Not fair! I feel like I’m surrounded by asparagus recipes at the moment and am really starting to salivate for it, but asparagus season doesn’t hit the UK til late April and I really stick to my guns when it comes to buying things out of season. Grrrr! I’m also craving strawberries like you wouldn’t believe, but I’ve got to wait til May as I’m definitely not going to ruin my craving with a bland flown-in option. Note to self: patience!

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  7. Tashia D Avatar

    I love asparagus and bet it would be great with almonds! When it’s nice enough outside, we toss it in some olive oil, salt and pepper and then grill it. It’s so so good!

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  8. Macibritt Avatar

    Ah, $.79 per pound asparagus 🙂 I love it. One of the many, many joys of being a Californian.

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  9. Jessika Avatar

    Not sure if they can grow there, but our asparagus is beginning to come up– will probably eat the first batch tonight. I know it’s maybe hard to justify growing your own when you can get batches for $0.79, but trust me, fresh asparagus? AMAZING. I’ve never had the urge to eat raw asparagus until I grew my own and it’s just as amazing cooked as it is snapped out of the ground and munched.

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  10. Theresa Avatar
    Theresa

    Thank you for this! Asparagus is our ‘veggie of the month’ aka our quest to help the kiddos (and ourselves!) eat better. Can’t wait to try your recipe 🙂

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  11. Melissa Avatar

    Sounds great!
    Are you the primary cook at your house? Do you like to cook? I’d love a post about where you find meal inspiration and your go to family faves!

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  12. Shelbie Avatar
    Shelbie

    We love asparagus at our house. My little guy calls them sticks. We toss them into a bag with some olive oil and seasoning of choice and let them marinate for a few hours – or sometimes more – then we toss them on the grill. Yumm. I can’t wait to try your option as well! Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Vanessa Avatar

    What a great idea! Do you prefer it with any specific type of mustard (spicy, dijon, honey mustard, etc.)?

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  14. Jenny Avatar
    Jenny

    $0.79 per pound? I AM SOOOO JEALOUS! Here in Germany we pay about $ 17 right now and when the season really starts (which will be in a few weeks due to the warm weather – yay!) it’s about $12. Nevertheless I love it. I like mine with some brown butter or dipped in olive oil (the Greek high quality one) yum! Oh and Elise, not sure if you are aware of it but asparagus will last longer and not get dry when you wrap it in a wet linen towel before putting it in the fridge 🙂

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  15. Sarah M Avatar
    Sarah M

    Yum! I’ll have to try this recipe. I love asparagus but the cheapest it ever gets here (near Vancouver, Canada) is ~ $2.99/lb…currently around $6/lb 😦

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  16. Welcome Home Taylor Avatar

    I’ve never been a HUGE fan of asparagus, but I think it really all depends on how you prepare it. I’ve been using brussels sprouts like their going out of season (oh wait, they are!) because they’re so cheap at the store right now. I love it mixed with a lot of stuff and I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making them into chips!
    xoxo
    Taylor
    http://www.welcomehometaylor.com

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  17. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    Yes! Just like green beans!
    I am not going to try… I heard it can take up to 10 years until it grows regularly and annually.

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  18. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    we through in grey poupon (sp?!) most of the time (or another spicy mustard) but just yellow is great too!

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  19. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    dijon! but plain works!

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  20. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    LOVE the idea of a veggie of the month!

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  21. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    we split it down the center! Paul actually taught ME how to cook. 😉 check out the “food and recipes” link on the left sidebar for all our faves. 🙂

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  22. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    any will work! we use dijon. 🙂

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  23. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    per bunch! I think it was a bit less than a pound, but I didn’t weigh it. 🙂

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  24. Dancing Through Sunday Avatar

    yummmmmmm i LOVE asparagus! I crumb mine and bake/shallow fry it with an aoli but I must must try this. Delicious 🙂
    http://www.dancingthroughsunday.typepad.com
    x

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  25. Kelly Jo Avatar
    Kelly Jo

    I love asparagus, especially grilled….OH YUM.
    I’ve never tried mustard on asparagus before- thanks for the tip!

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  26. Meghan Avatar

    I love asparagus, and we eat it all the time at our house. I usually roast it in the oven with some olive oil and a little sea salt or grill it. either way, it’s awesome!

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  27. Suzanne Avatar
    Suzanne

    I learned a fabulous way to cook asparagus from my Dad since it grew wild in our apple orchard. Toss whole asparagus in a ziplock with olive oil, salt and lemon juice until coated. Lay on the BBQ (charcoal grill is best) and grill until the flowered ends are slightly crisp, turning over once. Their taste combined with the lemon and BBQ is unbelievable! (For extra flavor, throw in alder wood chips to smoke slightly).

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  28. Vivid Avatar
    Vivid

    I made this tonight for the fam. Huge hit! My 19 month old kept asking for more. Thank you so much for sharing all of your personal recipes. I’ve tried and enjoyed quite a few of them.

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  29. Michelle e Avatar
    Michelle e

    Just made this tonight! I used whole almonds, Dijon mustard and grated Parmesan (things I always have around anyway) and it was delicious, quick and so easy! Thanks for sharing!!

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