Sunday, March 17, 2013

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Pine Nuts

Spring is just around the corner, and asparagus is one of my favorite spring vegetables.

Here I start with our basic Roasted Asparagus and dress it up with some tangy lemon and crunchy pine nuts.

RECIPE:

2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 pound asparagus
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 lemon, cut into 6-8 wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over low to medium-low heat for few minutes until lightly golden. Remove from heat and set aside.

Rinse the asparagus and break off the tough ends. (If you hold the asparagus spear at each end and bend it slightly, it will break at the right spot.) If using thicker spears, trim off the larger buds near the bottom of the stalk as desired.

Line up the asparagus spears in a single layer in a baking dish or pan.

Drizzle the asparagus lightly with the olive oil, turn to coat, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Roast for about 5-12 minutes, until the asparagus are tender when pierced with a fork, but still firm. The roasting time will depend on the thickness of the asparagus spears. For very thin asparagus, start checking them after about 4 minutes.

Squeeze one of the lemon wedges over the roasted asparagus, and then sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.

Serve with the remaining lemon wedges for garnish and sprinkling, as desired.

-- 4 servings

5 comments:

  1. Hi - I saw this at Marvelous Monday and it looks so fresh and inviting to eat! I love anything with a squirt of lemon!

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  2. Had to stop by from Foodie Friday because this dish looked so beautiful. This would be great for Easter dinner. Thank yo for sharing.

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  3. I agree with you Mary asparagus is the most wonderful Spring vegetable and your dish shows it off well. Thanks for sharing it with us on foodie friday.

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  4. Asparagus is one of the best vegetables for sure! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friday.

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  5. I love asparagus! Pinning this. Hopped from Simple Living and Eating Foodie Friday.

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