This past week, I’ve fallen in love with a new vegetable – asparagus. I know a lot of people eat asparagus on a regular basis, but it was never anything that was served in my house when I was growing up, so I’ve largely ignored it as an adult.
I have sampled the raw stuff before when it was included on a vegetable tray at a party, but it didn’t do anything for me (even covered in ranch dressing). However, last week I went to dinner at a friend’s house and she was serving asparagus, so I decided to give it a try. It was delicious and looked great on the plate!
I asked her how she made it and she said she just lightly coated it in olive oil and garlic, cooked it in a grill pan on the stove for a couple minutes (to get the nice grill marks), and then finished it off in the oven until it was tender. What a wonderfully simple recipe – just my style!
When I did my grocery shopping a couple of days ago, I picked up a bunch of the long, green stuff at the store and have also read a little about it. Here’s a few interesting tidbits that I found:
- Asparagus is high in vitamins B6, C, is an anti-carcinogen and an antioxidant (your nutritionist or nurse will love it when you tell them you’re eating this veggie).
- It comes in three colors: white, green, and purple.
- It’s kind of expensive for a vegetable — $4 or $5 for one bunch.
- You have to break off the tough ends and wash it really good before cooking.
Also, there are a several different ways to cook asparagus… steam, blanch, grill, etc., so you may have to experiment with the different methods until you find one you like the best. All in all, it’s a great veggie to add to your regular diet.
