I had a request to add more side dish recipes to my blog so here is my favorite asparagus recipe.
Most of the time, I drizzle it with olive oil and roast it on the grill or in the oven for a few minutes. I like my asparagus simple.
If I want to dress it up a little, I make asparagus gratin. I served this dish to my friends along with the glazed roast chicken last Saturday.
Asparagus Gratin
2 pounds thin asparagus
2 Tablespoon flour
2 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese
Trim 1 1/2” from ends of asparagus. Bring water to a boil in skillet. Add asparagus ends and 1/4. t. salt. Cook, covered for 5 min.
Remove asparagus ends and add asparagus to skillet.
Cover and cook 2-4 min.
Transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet. Pour asparagus liquid into measuring cup and reserve 1 cup.
Melt butter in skillet and add flour.
Cook 1 min. Add reserved liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 min. until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in 1/2 c. Parmesan and monterey jack.
Cover and let stand 5 min. Place asparagus in baking dish and drizzle with sauce and top with remaining cheese. Broil 6 min. until browned.
Okay, confession time - I took all of these pictures of the process of making the asparagus gratin and I FORGOT to take a picture of the finished product. (Sometimes, I don't know what I'm thinking.) So sorry. You will have to imagine that the cheese gets nice and browned on top to make it look like it's a really rich and creamy gratin. Truth is, it doesn't have the calories and fat that most gratin recipes do. If you're a fan of asparagus, this is a great way to eat it.
Last night was homecoming. Unfortunately the football team lost but it didn't seem to put a damper on the school spirit from these two.
Bon Appetit!
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