Roasted Asparagus (and others)

This past week at the farmer’s market, Asparagus made its debut appearance for 2008.  How exciting!!!  I excitedly bought twice as much as I thought I’d need, promising myself that we would eat it.  It is thursday, and the last of the roasted asparagus disappeared yesterday.  In fact, I roasted it Monday night and then climbed into the shower.  As I was toweling off, Kurt appeared with the container of roasted asparagus in his hand, munching happily on this green snack…note to self: “buy even MORE asparagus this week!”

Here is what I did (and I have to say, this basic method applies to every vegetable I roast–potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower florets, fennel bulb, brussels sprouts, winter squashes…):

Make sure that the bottom end of each spear is tender by finding the natural “snapping point”.  If you buy the bouquets of asparagus in the grocery store, you can just cut off the bottom third–composting the scraps, of course …I’m a little particular, so I like for the tips to all line up–it makes for easier plating and prettier presentation.

Lay the asparagus spears on a lined sheet pan, drizzle a little olive oil over all and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put everyone into a 400* oven, and check on the party in about 5 minutes.  Using tongs (for the asparagus–a spatula works best for the other stuff I roast), redistribute/gently toss the spears so that they get even roasting.  For the other stuff I roast, the reason for this step is to ensure even browning.  Another few minutes and the asparagus is done.  “Done” means that the spears are a pretty bright green and slightly “bendy” and the tips are starting to brown.  It took 8 minutes or less in my oven.

This is a recipe/method I use all year.  In the colder months, roasted veggies are wonderful warmed up and served with the rest of the meal, in the warmer months, they make an interesting addition to dinner salads, a staple at our table and in our lunch boxes.  In any season, roasted veggies provide a deeper more complex flavor, and since you are not boiling them, any heat resistant nutrients are not going down the drain with the cooking water.  This is probably a more “green” cooking method, because it takes less energy and time to roast vs boil water to cook with…