Addictive Asparagus

Submitted by Raquel Grinnell

"From the Food52 website. This was soooo amazing the first time I made it that my husband ate the rest in the middle of the night - it was supposed to be my lunch the next day!!! How can you go wrong with asparagus, leeks, pancetta, garlic, orange zest, parsley and pine nuts. Savory, fresh, addictive!!"

 

• Ready In: 20mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 1 side dish
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4 ounces pancetta, 1/4 inch dice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 lb asparagus, sliced into 2 inch pieces on bias, woody ends snapped off
• 1 1⁄4 cups leeks, thinly sliced crosswise (white and pale green parts only)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• fresh lemon zest, of one whole lemon
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

directions

1. In a large non-stick pan, saute pancetta, stirring frequently over medium heat, until crisp and lightly golden.
2. Add butter, then asparagus and leeks and saute until asparagus is tender crisp, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add garlic, citrus zests, toasted pine nuts and parsley and saute for another minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Reviews

[breezermom]

This is very good. The addition of the orange zest makes it a bit different from other asparagus and garlic recipes, and just puts it over the top. Love the toasted pine nuts to. I served this with grilled shrimp and scallops, and the asparagus was a perfect complement. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Epi Curious]

This is my favorite asparagus recipe. I can't endorse it enough! People rave about it and it is easy to prepare and SO much more interesting than most preparations. It comes from the Food 52 cookbook and their title for it is "Absurdly Addictive Asparagus". Guaranteed not to disappoint. Especially good as a side dish for salmon.