my recipe that nobody believes

[calimac]

It's getting into asparagus season again, so maybe I should finally commit to phosphor my recipe for

Baked asparagus

The secret to getting the woody part off asparagus is not to cut it, but to break it by hand. The joint at which the asparagus breaks will be just above the woody end. Don't ask me why this works, it just does.

Buy at least a couple pounds asparagus when it's on sale, fairly thick but not monstrously so. Break as described above.

Line it all up on a large shallow baking pan, as tightly as possible. (Think: Stand on Zanzibar. Only lying down instead.) Dribble about two cups of melted butter over it.

And bake it at 400 Fahrenheit for an hour. You read correctly: FOUR HUNDRED degrees for an HOUR. Actually, time will vary depending on the speed of your oven and the thickness of the asparagus, but this is about the median. Even thinner asparagus - you don't want it too thin - should take at least 40 minutes. You'll think it's quite done after 30, but it isn't. You want the asparagus to get to the point where the tips are just on the verge of beginning to burn. Judge by smell.

If you like asparagus, it's incredibly delicious with a little rice or couscous as a side dish. Intensely rich asparagus-butter taste. Crunchy too.

Comments

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

You read correctly:

Actually, I was far more surprised by two CUPS of melted butter.

Sounds lovely.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

Me too!! Even if we're talking a 9x13" pan, that sounds like an unbelievable amount of butter. That's an entire pound, 4 sticks (or cubes, CA-style). Is that really the right amount?

Two cups?

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

For a 9 x 13 pan, yeah, about that. I could have more precisely said "enough butter to ensure all the asparagus gets lavishly dribbled on." And how much would that be? Well, the exact quantity is "more than you'd think."

[divertimento.livejournal.com]

Without your assurances, I'd think this procedure would result in asparagus jerky.