Skillet Asparagus Recipe
You don't have to peel, bundle, or boil to enjoy this spring-time treat. Instead, highlight the beautiful color and fresh taste of asparagus by cooking it very quickly in a skillet as you would for an Asian stir fry. Don't waste a bite: use the woody ends of the stems to make Asparagus Custard.
Active time: 7 minutes. Total time: 7 minutes. Makes 4 servings, 1/2 cup each.
Ingredients
1 clove garlic
1 pound asparagus
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
lemon zest for garnish (optional)
Method
- Peel and mince garlic.
- Rinse asparagus. Cut off about 1/4 inch from the bottoms of the stalks, enough to get rid of any dirty or damaged parts.
- Gently flex each stem so that it breaks just above the woody part, usually 1/4 to 1/3 up the stalk. Save the woody part to make broth. Cut the top part of asparagus into bit-sized pieces about 1 1/2 inches long.
- Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and stir once. Add bite-sized asparagus pieces. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until asparagus is bright green and crunchy-tender. Remove from skillet so asparagus does not overcook.
- Sprinkle with a little salt and lemon juice. Top with a little lemon zest for color if you want. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any extra.
Tips and notes
- If you are also making Asparagus Custard, save 8 asparagus tops for that recipe.
- Letting cut garlic rest for five minutes before heating it is supposed to increase its cancer-fighting properties.
- To zest the lemon, use a fine grater or a knife to remove just the thin yellow part of the lemon peel. The white pith below is bitter.
- You'll use just a bit of zest and juice for this recipe, so freeze the rest in an ice cube tray by putting the zest into a section for a cube and covering it with lemon juice. After it's frozen, you can pop it out to store in a freezer bag or container.
- Thanks to Karen Johnson for showing me how to cook asparagus this way. Karen was the first great home cook I ever met, a former New Orleans debutant who had moved to the North Carolina coast to raise goats and vegetables while her husband studied marine biology.
