truffles in the kitchen:
asparagus
was reading the goodfood magazine (may issue) last night and learnt some tips on cooking asparagus from this recipe
though i later found out online that it does not have good ratings, i gathered 4 useful tips:
1) green asparagus take about 3 - 5 mins to cook depending on the thickness
2) to test if it is cooked, pierce the spear or stem with the point of a knife to see if it slides in easily
3) if you don't wish to shave the woody stems of the asparagus which can be quite tedious, you may hold one asparagus at each end, then bend - it will break where the tough woody stem meets the more tender and edible tip
4) don't throw away trimmings and ends as they make a great stock for soups and risottos
so i tried cooking my other bunch of asparagus in the fridge today
i did not follow the recipe
i did not bend the asparagus till it breaks where the woody stem meets the edible tip
i didn't want to waste it cos i'm not making any stock today
i shaved the stems lightly so that they will not taste woody but tender when cooked
i sauteed them in butter and finely chopped garlic with a pinch of salt
i tested how long i needed to cook them properly
it was good
marissa, my one year old, loved the asparagus!
amazing!
ingredients
1 bunch of asparagus (rinsed, trimmed slightly and the woody part of the stems lightly shaved, then halved)
1 clove of finely chopped garlic
1 level tbsp of unsalted butter
a few drops of light olive oil to prevent the butter from burning
1 tbsp of cooking liquid
1 tsp of fried shallot oil (optional)
method
melt the butter in a non stick pan over medium heat
add the olive oil
add garlic and fry till fragrant but not brown or coloured
add asparagus and coat them with the butter
add cooking liquid and a pinch of salt and stir well (how big a pinch depends on how salty you like your food to be but a very small pinch makes a lot of difference as salt brings out the flavour of food in a very amazing way)
cover with a lid
remove the lid after about 3 - 5 mins (depending on the thickness of the asparagus) and test by piercing the asparagus with the point of a knife -
when cooked it will slide in easily
transfer to serving plate when cooked and spoon over the shallot oil if you have
