Green asparagus with lemon (in the pan and in the oven)

You will know that I love to explore simple recipes that fill the table with delicious accompaniments without requiring much more time in the kitchen. So today I bring you the recipe to make asparagus with lemon , a dish that is both a first course as such if you want to enjoy it alone, as an appetizer (I'll tell you how) or it is undoubtedly the perfect vegetable to accompany a meat dish. or fish.

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

I would love for you to try these asparagus, and for this I make it easy for you: I will leave you how to make them both in the oven and in a pan , so you will no longer have an excuse. Take advantage of the day to day to sauté them or make a hole in the oven when you are baking other recipes, and enjoy them because they are worth it. You will not regret!

I leave you with the recipe and below with some considerations that I hope will be of interest to you.

Ingredients

• Green asparagus (quantity as each one wants)
• mild olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• intense olive oil
• flake salt
• 1 lemon (more if more than two bunches of asparagus are made)

Preparation

How to make baked lemon asparagus

1. Wash and cut the tough ends of the asparagus.
2. Arrange them on a baking tray (for these cases, the Naturals Nordic Ware tray is most practical, it gets very hot and is designed for intensive use).
3. Throw a jet of oil, and salt pepper.
4. Squeeze half a lemon on top of the asparagus. Stir well with the help of a spatula to ensure that they are well seasoned.
5. Cut the second half of the lemon and arrange the pieces on the tray, on top of the asparagus.
6. Bake at 200ºC for 15-20 minutes, or until you see that they are roasted. You can open and stir from time to time, to ensure that they roast evenly.
7. Remove from the oven, sprinkle salt flakes on top, and arrange a bit of roasted lemon on each plate (they're delicious!).

How to make asparagus with lemon in a pan or grill

1. Wash and cut the tough ends of the asparagus.
2. Put the skillet on low/medium heat to warm up and give it time to distribute the heat, and when it is hot, put it on high heat.
3. While the pan is heating, brush the asparagus with light oil (or drizzle the oil into the pan).
4. Add the asparagus to the pan and salt and pepper.
5. Pour in a stream of lemon juice, squeezing one half of the lemon over the top of the asparagus. After squeezing it, set the lemon aside (you can also cut the other half into slices and distribute them on top of the asparagus, they will cook while they flavor).
6. Let them cook in the pan, stirring them with a spatula or moving the pan. They should be well roasted, don't be afraid that they will turn black (they are more tender that way and also delicious with the roasted flavor).
7. When they are done, serve on a plate or tray, add the salt flakes and a drizzle of extra olive oil and serve.

Notes on making them in a skillet:

• Some people prefer to cook them in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes before roasting them in the pan, so that they are more tender and you don't have to roast them so much in the pan. It is an option to take into account if you prefer them greener and more tender.
• It is important to use an iron skillet or grill to properly roast the asparagus: iron gets much hotter than nonstick, apart from being a completely natural utensil. I definitely recommend making them in a De Buyer cast iron skillet , skillet , or Le Creuset cast iron grill . Yes there is a difference from doing it with other pans in this case.

Things to keep in mind

• There is no color from enjoying hot and freshly made asparagus to eating it cold or reheated. It is a recipe to make and enjoy (if you reheat them, they will lose that crunchiness of the freshly made roast).
• Asparagus with lemon is a wonderful first course, and without a doubt an ideal accompaniment for meat and, especially, fish (we are so used to fish with lemon, that they are undoubtedly an ideal pairing).

Ideas to accompany the dish

You can serve the lemon asparagus as I have told you, 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 take bread, you can serve them accompanied by romesco sauce or mayonnaise.
2. When you add the asparagus to the pan or on the baking tray to make them, you can also add minced garlic or a few garlic cloves. You will aromatize them with a flavor that marries wonderfully.
3. When they are practically done, you can put cheese on top of the asparagus so that it melts, or even put on the grill function and gratin them. Asparagus and cheese pair perfectly, and the presentation on the plate changes radically with the cheese on top.

To serve as an appetizer

If you are going to serve them as an appetizer in a snack, you can roast them cut into short pieces (about 3-5 cm), and when they are roasted serve them pierced with toothpicks as is. But you will look fabulous if you serve them:

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