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Sides | |
| 1/2 cup bread crumbs, preferably homemade 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, more or less 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper. | |
| 1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan. 2. Rinse asparagus and break off woody bottoms. Peel if thick. Lay stalks in a baking dish that will hold them in two or three layers, and, if the asparagus are thick, add a splash of water. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in oven. 3. Roast until the asparagus are tender, 10 to 12 minutes if they�re thick. Test for doneness by piercing a spear with point of a sharp knife; it should slide in but meet a little resistance. (Up to this point, the recipe can be made as much as two hours before serving; just leave asparagus at room temperature.) 4. Turn on broiler and place rack as close as possible to heating element. Top asparagus with cheese-crumb mixture and run under broiler to brown, a minute or two. Serve hot or at room temperature. | |
| This recipe is easily varied. For instance, forget the topping and toss the spears with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic when you add the oil, then roast. Skip the broiler step. For roast asparagus with soy and sesame, use 1 tablespoon peanut oil instead of olive oil or butter. Halfway through roasting, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to the asparagus, toss gently and finish roasting. When the spears are cooked, top with about 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds and run under the broiler until they pop, about 1 minute. Finish with a teaspoon or two of soy sauce. | |
Unrated | |
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