Tag Archives: Asparagus

Asparagus Stir-fry with Lemon-Herb Pan Sauce

Dinner, Side Dish, , , , ,

Asparagus-Stirfry
Ingredients:

1 lb Asparagus, trimmed and cut on diagonal in 1″ pieces
1/2 Small Yellow Onion, sliced thin in half rings
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
1-2  teaspoons Canola Oil
2-3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Water
1 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 teaspoon Dried (or fresh) Dill Weed
1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Cups Hot Cooked Brown Rice

Heat skillet over high heat, add oil, onion and garlic, cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add asparagus, cook 2-3 minutes until it is bright green and crisp tender. Remove from pan and set aside. Add lemon juice and water, scraping bottom of pan to get any bits that are stuck. Add butter and mustard and stir until combined. Add dill and pepper, and additional water to reach desired sauce constancy. Pour sauce over asparagus mixture and serve over hot rice, or toss with rice. Serve immediately.
(Feel free to experiment with different or additional herbs)

 

 

Yield: 2 as main dish or 4 as a side dish

Asparagus Risotto

Dinner, , , ,

I think I say this all the time, but risotto is my favorite food.  So creamy, delicious and cheesy.  The asparagus is a nice addition to risotto.

 

Ingredients:
1 lb Asparagus, tough ends trimmed & cut into 1-inch pieces (keep the stalks separate from the tips)
6 to 7 cups Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
1 1/2 Cups Brown Rice
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

 

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil.  Add half of the asparagus stalks (no tips).  Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Drain and blend in a food processor with a little water until smooth.  Set aside.

Heat the broth in a sauce pan and keep warm over low heat.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the broth a ladle full at a time, stirring frequently until almost all the liquid is absorbed before adding more.  Keep adding liquid until the rice is softened, about 45 minutes.  After about 30 minutes, add in the remaining asparagus stalks and tips.

Once the rice is softened, stir in the asparagus puree.

Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

Yield: 4 Servings

Chicken Cutlets and Asparagus with Creamy Pesto Sauce

Dinner, , , , , , ,

 

Sometimes I make something absolutely amazing for dinner and this dish is certainly one of those times.  This meal is easy, quick and so delicious. I can’t take all the credit for this delicious meal:  here’s where I found the recipe

 

Ingredients:
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Bunch Asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces (tough ends removed first)
1/2 Cup Cream/Half&Half/Evaporated Milk

For the Pesto Sauce – (Or substitute about 1/2 cup store-bought pesto sauce)

1/4 Cup Blanched Almonds
1 Cup Basil, about 20 leaves
1 tsp Dried Tarragon
1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley
1 Lemon, zested
1 Clove Garlic
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

 

Butterfly and pound out your chicken breasts to make cutlets.  Check out this quick tutorial for more info on that: How To Make Chicken Cutlets.  Season your chicken cutlets with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add half of the chicken cutlets.  You will have to do this in two batches so you don’t crowd the pan.  Cook for about 3 minutes on each side.  Reserve on a plate and cook up the remaining cutlets.  Reserve all the cooked chicken cutlets on a plate.

 

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the pesto sauce.  Combine all pesto sauce ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor.  Turn on and stream in the olive oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Put the asparagus in the pan, cooking for 3-4 minutes.  Add a little more olive oil if the pan is dry.  Add in the cream and pesto sauce, stirring to combine.

 

Add the chicken back to the pan and coat with the sauce.

 

Serve 2 chicken cutlets per person with asparagus and creamy pesto sauce on top.

 

 

 

 

Serves: 4

Chicken & Asparagus with Lemon-Rosemary Gravy

Dinner, ,
Tonight’s dinner is for you rosemary lovers out there.

Ingredients:
2 Chicken breasts
1 lb asparagus
salt & pepper
3 cloves garlic, grated
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used asparagus stock)
2 sprigs Rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
2 tsp Lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Coat chicken and asparagus with olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.

While the chicken and asparagus is cooking, make the gravy.  Heat butter in a sauce pot over medium-high heat.  Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes.  Whisk in stock, rosemary and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the chicken and asparagus with gravy on top.  The white asparagus was really stringy, green would have probably been better.

We also made garlic toast by rubbing a clove of garlic on toasted bread.

Three Veggie Penne

Dinner, , , , ,

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes.  This was originally a recipe by Rachael Ray, but I tweaked it a bit.  In Rachael’s version she boils the vegetables, but I prefer the flavor of roasted vegetables.  We rarely eat boiled or steamed veggies.  I also added a lot more of the vegetables.

Ingredients:
1 lb penne rigate
salt & pepper
1 lb asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 zucchinis, cut into 2 inch matchstick shapes
1/2 lb green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted over med-low heat
1 cup basil, about 20 leaves
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 lemon, zested
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil


Roast the veggies with olive oil and salt & pepper in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until browned.

Boil water for the pasta in a large pot, salt the water and cook until al dente.  While the water is coming to a boil, make the pesto sauce.  Combine the pine nuts, basil, tarragon, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper in a food processor.  Turn on the food processor and stream in the olive oil until a thick sauce forms.

Before draining the pasta, add a couple ladles of the pasta cooking water to the pesto sauce in a large bowl.

Add the cooked pasta and roasted veggies to the bowl and toss to combine.  Serve with additional parmesan cheese on top.