Untested recipe
Time: 25 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 thick slice bread (variations below)
- 1 ounce Parmesan
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh, thin asparagus
- 3 tablespoons butter, extra virgin olive oil, or a combination
- Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
This recipe can be made in advance up to 2 hours before serving.
1. Heat oven to 500°F; while it heats, place bread on a rack until lightly toasted and dry. Coarsely grind or grate bread and cheese together (a small food processor is best), and keep crumbs larger than store bought bread crumbs.
2. Break off woody bottoms of asparagus. Lay stalks in a baking dish that will hold them in two or three layers. Toss with bits of butter or a bit of oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in oven.
3. Roast 5 minutes, then shake dish to redistribute butter/oil. Roast 5 minutes more, then test for doneness by piercing a spear with point of a sharp knife; it should slide in but meet a little resistance. If making in advance of serving, pause at this point and leave asparagus at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
4. Turn on broiler and place rack as close as possible to heating element. Top asparagus with cheese-crumb mixture and run under broiler to brown, a minute or two.
Variations
Toss asparagus with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic in step 2. Skip breadcrumbs and the broiler step.
For roast asparagus with soy and sesame, use 1 tablespoon peanut oil instead of olive oil or butter. Halfway through roasting, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to the asparagus, toss gently, and finish roasting. When asparagus are cooked, top with 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds and place under broiler until they pop, about 1 minute. Finish with a teaspoon or two of soy sauce.
— Recipe from “The Minimalist” in The New York Times…
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