Asparagus is good for you in many ways. It has tons of vitamins and antioxidants, like Vitamin A, C, E and K, fiber, and folate.  It also contains glutathione, which attacks carcinogens and free radicals. Hello, cancer fighter! Hey you, diabetes helper! Oh you kidney stone preventer! Yep, asparagus can improve insulin secretion and is a diuretic, flushing out kidneys.  And you thought it just tasted good!  Read on for our Food Editor Christine Berardi’s easy recipe for Roasted Asparagus.

Asparagus is popping up everywhere in the farmer’s markets right now! Green, white and purple, these stalks of juicy freshness say “Spring” to me like no other flavor. While poaching or steaming is probably the most classic cooking method for asparagus, I love to roast them in a hot oven until they are just bright green and the edges have begun to get golden and nutty.  To me, good fresh roasted asparagus needs no improvement other that salt, pepper and olive oil to be perfect.

When buying asparagus, I take a minute to look the bundle over. The cut ends should not look like the desiccated grain ends of a block of wood, the stalks should be firm, smooth, and evenly green, and the tips should be largely intact tight buds. If the stalks have wrinkles or any yellow, they have passed their prime and will have a sour tired flavor. I usually trim the ends just above the white part of the stalk and don’t bother to peel any further than that. Rinsed and dried, lay the asparagus in alternating directions (so they’ll fit better) on a sheet pan to allow as much surface to touch the hot pan as possible. Drizzle them with olive oil, then roll the stalks around in the oil to lightly coat them.  Shake a little salt and fresh black pepper over them and they are ready to cook.

Since asparagus varies so much in thickness, it’s difficult to give an exact cooking time, but for stalks the size of a #2 pencil, they generally take about 8 minutes to get the combination of bright green and the beginning of caramelization I love. The thicker stalks may take twice as long, but check on them at 12-15 minutes. It’s that combination of high heat, olive oil, and a short cooking time that cooks them just through and crisps the edges without making them soggy and drab.

Roasted Asparagus

1 bundle asparagus (about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425.

 DIRECTIONS

Rinse and trim the tough ends from the asparagus stalks and lightly dry them off with a kitchen towel. Lay them out in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with a bout 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roll the stalks in the oil to lightly coat the asparagus from top to bottom. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Depending on the thickness, begin checking them at around 8-10 minutes. You should hear them sizzle in the oven, and when you pick one up, the stalk should bend. When they are done, remove them from the oven and from the pan to stop the cooking. If you like drizzle with a little more olive oil. They are delicious hot or at room temperature.

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