Asparagus Recipes

Asparagus Soup

2 Cups asparagus (chopped in pieces)	2 Tbsp flour	1 can cream of celery soup
1 small onion	1 tsp salt	1 can chicken broth
3 Tbsp butter	½ tsp pepper	2 Cups milk

Cook asparagus and onion with a little oil in a skillet until tender. Melt butter over low heat in heavy saucepan. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in chicken broth, celery soup and milk. Bring to a boil. Boil one minute stirring constantly, then add cooked vegetables. Cook 10 minutes over boiling water. Serve hot with a swirl of whipped cream dusted with paprika, minced parsley, chives or other colorful garnish.

Sugared Asparagus

3 Tbsp butter or margarine	2 pounds fresh asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp brown sugar	1 Cup chicken broth

In a skillet over medium-high, heat butter and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add asparagus; sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove asparagus to a serving dish and keep warm. Cook sauce, uncovered, until reduced by half. Pour over asparagus and serve immediately. Yield 4-6 servings.

Oven Roasted Asparagus

3 pounds fresh asparagus	¾ tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil	½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced	½ cup slivered almonds, toasted

Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus; place asparagus on a lightly greased baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with olive oil; sprinkle evenly with garlic, salt, and pepper. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or to desired tenderness. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with almonds.

Chilled Sesame Asparagus

2 Pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed	1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp dark sesame oil	1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp rice vinegar	1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Cook asparagus in boiling water about 4-5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain, cover, and chill 2 hours. Whisk together sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. Chill 2 hours. Arrange asparagus on a serving dish; spoon dressing evenly over top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Pasta with Asparagus

5 garlic cloves, minced	1 lb fresh asparagus cut into pieces
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes	Salt to taste
2 to 3 dashes hot pepper sauce	¼ tsp pepper
¼ Cup olive oil	¼ Cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp butter or margarine	½ pound mostaccioli or elbow macaroni, cooked and drained