Best Savory Italian Asparagus Recipes

BAKED ASPARAGUS ITALIAN STYLE (ASPARAGI AL FORNO)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
• Clean the asparagus and trim off the woody ends if necessary.
• Place asparagus in a steamer (or in a pan of lightly salted water) and steam/cook for 8 minutes.
• Be sure not to over cook and make asparagus limpy.
• Place asparagus in a buttered, oven tolerant dish or pan.
• Season with pinch of salt and black pepper.
• Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top and sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano.
• Bake in preheated oven for about 6-7 minutes until golden brown.
• Enjoy-- mmmmmmm.

SOLE WITH SAVORY BREAD CRUMB TOPPING AND ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Trim the asparagus spears, then place them in a baking dish. Toss with 2 teaspoons of the oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Roast until they are crisp-tender, 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the spears.
• Meanwhile, place the garlic in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Cut off and discard the crusts from the bread, then add the bread to the processor and pulse until fine crumbs are formed.
• Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the butter together in a medium skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, finely zest the lemon until you get about 1 teaspoon of zest.
• Add the garlic and bread crumbs to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and the crumbs are toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest, oregano, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Arrange the fish fillets on an aluminum foil- or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon over the fish, then press the bread crumb mixture on top. Bake until the fish is just opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 8 minutes. While the fish is cooking, chop the parsley.
• To serve, arrange the fish on serving plates with the asparagus alongside. Sprinkle with the juice from the remaining lemon half and the parsley before serving.

ITALIAN ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Snap off tough ends of asparagus.
• Remove scales from stalks with a knife or veggie peeler, if desired.
• Arrange asparagus in a veggie steamer over boiling water.
• Cover and steam 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp tender, keep warm.
• Combine tomato and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stir well.
• To serve, spoon tomato mixture over asparagus, sprinkle with cheese.

ROASTED ITALIAN ASPARAGUS WITH PARMESAN

Steps:

• Mix garlic powder into dressing.
• Toss dressing with asparagus.
• Roast asparagus in 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle with parmesean and place under broiler for about 3 minutes.

ASPARAGUS FRITTATA WITH BURRATA AND HERB PESTO

Steps:

• Rinse asparagus, and pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal, or into julienne strips if preferred. Set aside.
• In blender or small food processor, purée olive oil, basil and parsley to make a thin pesto. Season with salt and pepper.
• Put a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or other nonstick omelet pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add butter and swirl to coat pan, then add asparagus. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring for about a minute without browning.
• Quickly pour in eggs and stir with a wooden spoon, as if making scrambled eggs. Tilt pan and lift mixture at the edges to allow any runny egg from the top to make its way to the bottom. After 3 or 4 minutes, the frittata should be mostly set. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Lay a lid over the skillet, and turn off the heat. Leave for a minute or so, until frittata is moist and just done. (Alternatively, place pan under a hot broiler for a minute or so.)
• Set whole burrata in the center of frittata. Drizzle with herb pesto. Pierce burrata with tip of a knife and spoon contents over frittata. Cut frittata into wedges and serve directly from pan, garnished with basil leaves.