My family and I have fallen completely in love with asparagus. One of my Christmas gifts from my husband was a bamboo steamer and asparagus is its favorite resident. Not only is steamed asparagus nothing short of delectable, it’s a nice, crunchy part of a healthy diet.
- Asparagus is low in calories
- Asparagus has very little sodium
- Asparagus is a very good source of potassium and fiber
- Asparagus is an excellent source of folacin, thiamin, and Vitamin B6
Naturally, even with all of that going for it, if it didn’t taste fantastic, it wouldn’t be invited back into the kitchen.
My favorite way to serve asparagus is steamed and, personally, I think I am the reigning queen of steaming (dusts left shoulder, then right shoulder). I guess it’s a personal thing, but I love for my steamed vegetables to retain a little crunch.. a little attitude. I want to know that it’s a vegetable I’m eating, not pudding! Below are a few key tips for steaming asparagus:
- When buying asparagus, look for smooth, round, and tender medium-sized spears. Be sure to look at the tips – you want the asparagus to have closed tips. Also, be sure the stalks are uniform in size, so they’ll all cook in the same amount of time.
- Cut or snap off the tough ends. Wash asparagus and remove scales if they’re sandy or rough.
- Steam asparagus in an electric steamer, a stove-top steamer, or a bamboo steamer for 6 – 8 minutes.
You can also microwave asparagus. For spears: Place asparagus spears in a square microwavable-safe dish about 8x8x2 inches. Add 1/4 cup water and microwave between 6 and 9 minutes. For Pieces: Add 1/4 cup water to cut up asparagus and microwave for 6 to 9 minutes.
Asparagus is wonderful lightly salted and served with lemon but my favorite way to serve it is with Hollandaise Sauce. Before you run from the room screaming, I’ve got your back.
McCormick and Knorr’s both make outstanding (and unbelievably fast and easy) Hollandaise Sauce mixes.
I have used mixes and I have made Hollandaise Sauce from scratch. I actually prefer the mixes! I’m not sure why that is, but the flavor and the texture is just 100 times better when made from a mix. It’s also about 100 times faster as well. Faster, easier, and tastier. That’s tough to top.
Grab some asparagus and a package of Hollandaise Sauce on your next trip to the store. If you haven’t eaten asparagus in a while, it might be better than you remembered.
While on the subject of asparagus, I’m going to hunt through some of my beloved heirloom cookbooks and recipes and find my grandmother’s wonderful Asparagus Casserole recipe. Even as a kid in a “But Granny, it’s greeeeeen!!!!” phase, I still licked my plate clean when she served her asparagus casserole. I’ll post the recipe tomorrow.
