Green asparagus with lemon (skillet and oven)

You probably already know I love exploring simple recipes that fill the table with delicious sides without requiring much extra time in the kitchen. So today I bring the recipe for lemon asparagus, a dish that works as a starter if you want to enjoy it on its own, as an appetizer (I'll tell you how) or is without a doubt the perfect vegetable to accompany a meat or fish dish.

Wild asparagus (green asparagus) are extremely beneficial for your health (in fact they have truly exceptional nutritional content), and their flavor is uniquely special. Taken alone, simply sautéed, they are already really tasty, but today I'll show you how to enjoy them with that touch of lemon, which is a slightly different way that suits them wonderfully.

I would love for you to try these asparagus, and to make it easy I give you how to make them both in the oven and in a pan, so you have no excuse. Take advantage of everyday cooking to sauté them or make room in the oven when you're baking other recipes, and enjoy them because they deserve it. You won't regret it!

Here's the recipe and below some considerations that I hope you'll find interesting.

Ingredients

• Green asparagus (quantity according to each person's preference)
• Mild olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Robust olive oil
• Sea salt flakes
• One lemon (more if making more than two bunches of asparagus)

Preparation

How to make lemon asparagus in the oven

1. Wash and trim the tough ends of the asparagus.
2. Arrange them on a baking tray (for these cases, the Naturals Nordic Ware tray is very practical, holds a lot of heat and is designed for heavy use).
3. Drizzle with oil, and salt and pepper.
4. Squeeze half a lemon over the asparagus. Stir well with a spatula to ensure they're well seasoned.
5. Cut the second half of the lemon and place the pieces on the tray, on top of the asparagus.
6. Bake at 200 ºC for 15-20 minutes, or until you see they are roasted. You can open and stir from time to time to ensure they roast evenly.
7. Remove from the oven, sprinkle sea salt flakes on top and place a piece of roasted lemon on each plate (They're delicious!).

How to make lemon asparagus in a skillet or grill

1. Wash and trim the tough ends of the asparagus.
2. Heat the pan over low/medium heat to warm it and give it time to distribute the heat, and when it's hot turn up to high heat.
3. While the pan heats, brush the asparagus with mild oil (or pour a little oil into the pan).
4. Add the asparagus to the pan and salt and pepper.
5. Pour a splash of lemon juice, squeezing half a lemon over the asparagus. After squeezing it, set the lemon aside (you can also cut the other half into slices and distribute them over the asparagus, they will cook while adding aroma).
6. Let them roast in the pan, stirring with a spatula or shaking the pan. They should get well roasted — don't be afraid if they blacken a bit (they become more tender that way and are also delicious with the roasted flavor).
7. When done, serve on a plate or tray, sprinkle the sea salt flakes and a drizzle of extra olive oil and serve.

Notes about making them in a pan:

• Some people prefer to boil them in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes before roasting them in the pan, so they are more tender and don't need to be roasted as long in the pan. It's an option to consider if you prefer them greener and more tender.
• It's important to use a cast-iron skillet or grill to cook the asparagus properly: iron gets much hotter than nonstick, apart from being completely natural cookware. I definitely recommend making them in a De Buyer iron pan, a skillet or a Le Creuset cast-iron grill. There is indeed a difference when using other pans in this case.

Things to keep in mind

• There is no comparison between enjoying asparagus hot and freshly made versus eating them cold or reheated. It's a make-and-enjoy recipe (if you reheat them, they will lose that crispness of freshly roasted).
• Lemon asparagus is a wonderful starter, and without doubt an ideal side for meats and especially fish (we're so used to fish with lemon that they are certainly a perfect pairing).

Ideas to accompany the dish

You can serve the lemon asparagus just as I described, but here are some ideas that work very well if you want to modify the recipe or give it a different touch:

1. If you like sauces or dipping with bread, you can serve them with romesco sauce or mayonnaise.
2. When you add the asparagus to the pan or oven tray to cook them, you can also add chopped garlic or whole garlic cloves. You'll flavor them with a taste that pairs wonderfully.
3. When they are almost done, you can sprinkle cheese over the asparagus so it melts, or even use the grill function to gratin them. Asparagus and cheese pair perfectly, and the presentation on the plate changes radically with cheese on top.

To serve them as an appetizer

If you're serving them as an appetizer at a finger-food event, you can roast them cut into short pieces (about 3-5 cm), and when roasted serve them skewered with toothpicks as is. But you'll be fabulous if you serve them:

1. sprinkled with grated Parmesan on top,
2. skewered together with a cube of cured cheese,
3. wrapped in Iberian ham they are absolutely delicious,
4. or skewered with a small piece of bacon or crispy ham, cooked on the grill or in a few seconds in the microwave.