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Foodie Friday – Oven Roasted Asparagus

Good day! This week’s recipe is simple and delicious! I am an asparagus lover, and to me, this veggie is a definite sign of spring. Did you know that it takes 3 years after planting to harvest asparagus spears? Or that it is one of the few perennial vegetables that will come up in spring year after year once established, sometimes even lasting 20 years? That’s pretty amazing.

I remember as a kid watching chef James Barber on The Urban Peasant snap off the bottom portion of each asparagus spear to remove the woody/stringy bit. He demonstrated that if you grasp the spear at the bottom in one hand and a ways further up with your other hand, and then gently bend the stalk, the bottom portion you do not want will naturally snap off at exactly the right spot. He’s right, I periodically snack on those woody ends to check. Since then, snapping off asparagus spears is one of the simple pleasures in life I find immensely delightful.

Well let’s get down to business, shall we…

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Ingredients

  • one bunch of asparagus
  • 1 TBSP olive oil or avocado oil
  • sea salt
  • pepper
  • 1-2 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice (~1/2 a lemon)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Wash and then snap off the woody/stringy bottom portion of the asparagus spears, following the method explained above, and spread them out on the baking tray.
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  3. Pour 1 TBSP of olive or avocado oil evenly over the asparagus (both of these oils have a high smoking point so are good choices for oven roasting veggies).
  4. Generously season with sea salt & pepper. Using your hands, gently rotate the asparagus to ensure even coating of the oil and seasonings.
  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until tender but still crisp.
  6. Remove from the oven, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the spears and serve hot.
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This is delicious! I eat this for lunch occasionally and it is a wonderful accompaniment to a spring supper.

Serves 2

Enjoy!

 

Jenny