A Medley of Asparagus Recipes

Asparagus is our favorite side dish to serve for Easter. It holds up well at room temperature on a buffet and almost everyone loves it. Each year I make it my mission to find a new asparagus recipe to add to our ever growing list of favorites. This year I’ve done a new version of my favorite asparagus mimosa recipe – I’ve sprinkled the chopped egg topping with briny capers.

I’ve included my basic recipe for poached asparagus as well as my basic French vinaigrette. With building blocks such as these, you can do a lot of different versions of garnishes, such as capers & chopped eggs or anything else that strikes your fancy.

Asparagus Mimosa, also known as Asparagus Goldenrod with Capers
From My Carolina Kitchen – Sam Hoffer

Prepare My Carolina Kitchen’s Basic Recipe for poached asparagus below. Dress with My Carolina Kitchen’s Basic French Vinaigrette below, using freshly squeezed lemon juice. Garnish with a chopped hard-boiled egg and some drained capers.

Printable recipe

My Carolina Kitchen’s Basic Recipe for Poached Asparagus
From My Carolina Kitchen – Sam Hoffer

1 lb fresh asparagus, tough lower ends snapped off
2 teaspoons salt
Water flavored with low sodium, low fat beef broth* to taste

After tough ends of asparagus have been removed, peel the remaining ends unless the asparagus is thin; if thin, leave as is. Bring water flavored with beef broth and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a shallow pan. Add asparagus, turn heat to low and cook for about 4 minutes until asparagus is crisp tender, taking care not to overcook. Immediately plunge the asparagus in an ice water bath to stop the cooking and retain the green color. After a minute or two, remove the asparagus and dry well with a towel. Dress with a vinaigrette. Then you may either chill it for about an hour, or serve at room temperature. *I like to flavor my asparagus water with beef broth. It isn’t necessary, but it does bring a very nice flavor to the cooking broth.

Printable Recipe

My Carolina Kitchen’s Basic French Vinaigrette
From My Carolina Kitchen – Sam Hoffer

1 tablespoon good vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon finely chopped shallot, optional
½ to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard to taste
Dash of hot sauce such as Tabasco
Maldon sea salt, or other good sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put all of the ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.  Easily doubled or tripled. This also saves well in the refrigerator for a day or two. Omit the shallot, Dijon mustard, and hot sauce for a more basic vinaigrette. The mustard is used to emulsify the vinaigrette and keeps it from separating and the shallot and hot sauce bring added flavor and are highly recommended.

Printable recipe

Here’s Asparagus Mimosa, using the basic asparagus & French vinaigrette recipe but with chopped radishes instead of capers for a nice crunch. Link to recipe here.

Another asparagus recipe that’s a winner is asparagus using a fig balsamic vinegar to make a rich, dark vinaigrette, tossed in some chopped shallots and served over crispy poached asparagus at room temperature. Link here to post and recipe.

Here I’ve served asparagus on a bed of arugula with roasted red peppers and kalamata olives. Link here to post and recipe.

Last but certainly not least is a grilled asparagus and melon salad. This is very versatile recipe in that the asparagus can be cooked outside on a grill or on a stove top grill in your kitchen. The melon and cheese make a great fresh topping, full of flavor and have real eye appeal, plus it tastes good. Link to original post and recipe here.

This will be shared with Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm, Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday at Simple Recipes, Comforts of Home Tasty Tuesday, and Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter.   

I hope everyone has a lovely Easter.