Tag: asparagus spears

Asparagus and Tomato Sauté with Balsamic and Feta

by Pam on March 5, 2014

We eat a lot of asparagus around here this time of year. I decided to do a quick sauté with the asparagus spears and grape tomato halves until crisp-tender. I drizzled the top with a really good balsamic vinegar and feta cheese crumbles. It was delicious, healthy, and it paired nicely with the Spicy Roasted Chicken Drumsticks^[1] and the Basmati Rice with Garlic, Pine Nuts, and Fresh Parsley^[2].

Heat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the asparagus spears then cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes (longer if the asparagus is really thick – shorter if they are really thin), until crisp tender. Add the grape tomato halves and cook for 2 minutes. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Place the asparagus and tomatoes on a serving plate then drizzle with a good balsamic vinegar, to taste, then top with feta cheese crumbles, to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

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Asparagus and Tomato Sauté with Balsamic and Feta

Yield: 4

Total Time: 7 min.

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 bunch of asparagus, wooden ends removed
1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, halved
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Balsamic vinegar, to taste
Feta cheese crumbles, to taste

Directions:

Heat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the asparagus spears then cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes (longer if the asparagus is really thick – shorter if they are really thin), until crisp tender. Add the grape tomato halves and cook for 2 minutes. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Place the asparagus and tomatoes on a serving plate then drizzle with a good balsamic vinegar, to taste, then top with feta cheese crumbles, to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

References

^{^} Spicy Roasted Chicken Drumsticks (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Basmati Rice with Garlic, Pine Nuts, and Fresh Parsley (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Save to ZipList Recipe Box (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

Simple Asparagus Tart – Sorry, Mom!

I don’t often buy puff pastry to make asparagus tarts, but when I find a piece in the back of the freezer, it’s one of my all-time favorite things to do. My only real regret with this video, was not finishing it with a poached egg, and calling it a Mother’s Day brunch special. As great as this was, it would have been even more so accessorized with a runny egg.

As long as you’re pretty good at making rectangles, and trimming things to the right length, this recipe is a breeze. By the way, I’ll give the specific ingredient amounts I used here, but this really depends on how much asparagus you have, and how long you want your tart to be.

The width of your tart is always going to be a little wider than the asparagus are long, as you see above; but the length is up to you, and you can use as many spears as will fit across your pan. If you’re not quite clear on what I’m saying, simply Google “asparagus tart” and you’ll see what I mean. They’re like snowflakes.

While we got a surprisingly positive response on our raw asparagus salad recipe (I really should have more faith in you), I did want to do a more classic, hot preparation as well. Asparagus is bountiful and beautiful right now, and I really hope you pick some up, possibly along with some eggs, and give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 x 9 inch rectangle of puff pasty, thawed

6 asparagus spears, blanched in well-salted wated

2 tsp melted butter

grated Parmigiano-Reggiano as needed

For the mustard sauce:

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp crème fraiche

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
– Bake puff pastry shell at 400 F. for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed and golden-brown.
– Fill and bake another 10-12 minutes or until the pastry is browned and asparagus are tender (but not mushy!).

Lemon Asparagus Couscous Salad with Tomatoes

Pearl couscous (otherwise known as Isreali couscous) tossed with asparagus, tomatoes and lemon juice make a vibrant Spring pasta salad that is perfect for lunch, as a side dish, or even to make as a side dish if you are grilling for Mother’s Day this weekend!

I’m not usually a fan of the taste of whole wheat pasta, but I don’t mind it when the pasta is a smaller cut like orzo, angel hair and pearl couscous. Yes, for those of you who’ve never tried pearl couscous, it’s basically pasta and I treat as such. I don’t follow the directions on the box, instead I boil it in a pot of water like I would with orzo. I just adore the pearl shaped texture and also found it as the perfect shape for my daughter when started eating solid foods.

This salad can be eaten room temperature or chilled, and leftovers are great the next day for lunch.

Pearl Couscous Salad with Lemon Asparagus and Tomato
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 5 • Size: little over 1 cup • Old Points: 3 • Weight Watcher Points+: 4 pt
Calories: 170 • Fat: 4 g • Carb: 30 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 6.3 g • Sugar: 0.0 g
Sodium: 10 mg (without the salt) • Cholest: 0 mg

Ingredients:

6 oz whole wheat pearl couscous
3/4 lb thin asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1-1/2 lemons, juiced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
Kosher salt, to taste
fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add asparagus and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove with a large slotted spoon and rinse in a colander in the sink under cold water to stop it from cooking. Add the couscous to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.

Chop it into small 1/2 inch pieces. Drain the couscous and rinse under cold water, place in a large bowl.

Add the chopped asparagus, tomatoes, red onion, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper to the bowl. Taste for salt and pepper and serve room temperature or chilled.

Makes 5 1/2 cups.