Asparagus & Tomatoes

Here in my neck of the woods, we are very blessed with some of the finest farming soil around, and fine produce is very easy to come by.  It's not unusual to see men and women standing on residential street corners selling farm fresh produce.  For a wider variety its just a 10-15 minute drive out to any one of the several fruit stands in the area.  Depending on the season, you can even catch a farmers market in town up to four times a week!!!

Asparagus season is quickly approaching us.  I HATED asparagus as a kid.  My mom would cook it one way and one way only, which was to boil the crap out of it!!  It smelled the house up SO stinking bad that I swear I turned green when she cooked it!! Thank you mom for never forcing me to eat any!!  (because I know your reading this!)

It wasn't until the first time I tasted the deep fried asparagus at the Asparagus festival (which takes place every April in our town) that I realized asparagus is not so bad!!! It's coated it in a tasty batter and then fried up to perfection.  Then its topped with parmesan cheese (the kind from a can).  And then we drizzle it with hot sauce and dip it in ranch dressing.  OH MY GOODNESS, it is SO YUMMY!!  So since that first encounter, I have become less and less afraid of the vegetable and even started to cook it at home! And not one of those times did I ever just boil the crap out of it! ;)

 

(YUUUUM!)

 

 

I spotted some asparagus at the grocery store the other day.  I took it home and started searching asparagus recipes.  I ended up combining a couple of recipes to create this very fresh and healthy side dish.  :)

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 bunch of fresh asparagus

2/3 C water

1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 C olive oil (I used seasoned)

6 Campari tomatoes, quartered (you can also use grape or cherry tomatoes)

zest of half of a lemon (I used Meyer)

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Wash and trim the asparagus. Place it into a 10 in. skillet with the water.  Cover and steam over medium heat for 8-12 minutes.  Drain well, return to the pan and turn the heat down to low.  Drizzle with the olive oil, top with the Parm cheese, tomatoes, and lemon zest.  Cover again and allow to sit for two minutes or until the cheese has melted.  ENJOY!!