Asparagus

Asparagus and Asparagus Recipes

Asparagus is the only food to change the smell of your urine, asparagus is one of the most unique vegetables out there. Unfortunately, it can't be placed where Asparagus was first cultivated, though it has been discovered to be native towards the Asia Minor and eastern areas of the Mediterranean. Coming directly from the lily family, the wild asparagus has thinner shoots than what you'd get your grocery store. Compared to cultivated shoots, wild types are thinner than a pencil, and have been what people throughout history munched on for thousands of years. The Romans prized it heavily, with no ruler having disdain for it. They were so fond of it in fact, they created an entire fleet of men solely positioned to gather the green treasure should it be needed.

Even during the Renaissance, it was still prized as a delicacy only available to the ones who had the money to pay the hefty price-tag on them. Prior to the artistic uprising, it fell out of popular demand by commoners in the Middle Ages when prosperity and eating fancy vegetables weren't on everyone's to-do list. Peasants even dubbed them "sparrow grass."

When prepared asparagus is usually cooked and served while it's still a young shoot, and is a host to a multitude of vitamins and antioxidants, along with a great source of fiber and protein. In fact, if you ate enough of this every day you would complete most of your daily regimen for nutritional values, but of course you would get tired of it at some point. Depending on where you're located in the world, the plant is a many ways as you can imagine. For Asian countries and most parts of the world, it's used primarily in stir-fries, while others simply grill or bake it along with some seasonings. Other see it is as a pickling opportunity, citing it as "marinating." Whichever way you like to cook it, asparagus is still widely loved for its herbaceous flavor, unique shape and ability to be both crunchy and soft, which gives it some versatility in dishes requiring either raw or cooked ingredients. To get more articles like this one and

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Recipes:

Creamy Asparagus Soup:
Ingredients

•3 tablespoons butter
•1 leek, sliced
•1 large clove garlic, minced
•1 pound fresh asparagus spears, each cut crosswise into thirds
•1 cup chicken broth
•1 cup water
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon pepper
•1/2 cup PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
•1/4 cup milk
Directions:


Melt butter on medium heat and add leeks, cooking for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring every once in a while. Afterwards, stir in garlic for 2 minutes Stir in asparagus, broth and water. Simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper during.
As the asparagus is simmering, blend the cream cheese spread and milk until uniform.
Add asparagus mixture, in batches, to the blender; blend until everything is smooth and add cream cheese mixture; stir gently with a spoon.

Asparagus Bacon Recipe
Ingredients

•10 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed
•1/8 teaspoon pepper
•5 bacon strips, halved lengthwise
Directions:
Spray sheet of wax paper with nonstick cooking spray and place asparagus onto it. Sprinkle with pepper and rotate shoots to coat evenly. Securing the ends with toothpicks, wrap a piece of bacon around each shoot (either vertically, or horizontally.) Grill the asparagus uncovered, until bacon is crisp, which take 8-12 minutes. Turn occasionally to evenly cook. Discard toothpicks afterwards.

Asparagus Omelette Recipe
Ingredients

•1 (1.25 ounce) envelope hollandaise sauce
•8 eggs
•2 tablespoons milk
•salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
•1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
•2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
•2 cups cut fresh asparagus, cooked, divided
•2 cups flaked imitation crabmeat, coarsely chopped, divided
•minced chives

Directions:
Prepare hollandaise sauce according to the directions on the package; set aside but also keep it at a warm temperature for later.
In a bowl, beat mix the first four ingredients. Put oil in a medium-to-large skillet over medium heat, adding half of your previous mixture. As the eggs cook, lift the edges letting uncooked portion flow underneath to cook further. Sprinkle the top with 1/2 cup cheese, 1 cup asparagus, 1 cup crab and another 1/2 cup cheese. Fold omelet over itself to conceal the ingredients inside. Cover for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Repeat process for the second omelet. After completed, serve with hollandaise sauce. Garnish with the minced chives.