Warm Buttered Asparagus
This dish is the simplest of luxuries: asparagus spears peeled and simmered in salted water till they're cooked through, at which point they take on an almost custardy tenderness, then bathed in a quick butter sauce you make in the pan. Three ingredients, plus water. Do try it, if you've never eaten them this way, or haven't in some time.
Alternatively, you can skip the butter treatment and dress the spears in vinaigrette, or even eat them plain. Want to go fancy? Try them with a traditional or new-wave gribiche.
If you have more or less asparagus than the suggested 1 1/2 pounds (which generously serves four), it doesn't matter: Nothing needs to be measured; this is more a technique than a recipe. It works with asparagus spears of any thickness, except those so skinny you wouldn't be able to peel them. (I prefer to roast or grill those.)
Serves 4.
Ingredients
About 1 1/2 pounds / 680 grams asparagus
Sea salt or Kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 or 8 pieces
Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for finishing (optional)
Instructions
1. Trim the woody bottom ends off the asparagus stalks, then use a vegetable peeler to peel each stalk to about two-thirds of the way up. This is easiest if you lay the stalk flat on a cutting board as you gently peel, so the stalk doesn't break.
2. Bring a wide, shallow pan of water to a boil over high heat and add enough salt to make it taste like the sea. Lay the asparagus in flat (you'll want it completely submerged), cover the pan, and simmer until the asparagus stalks flop down on the ends when you lift them in the middle with tongs – about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes for medium-thin to medium spears, longer for jumbos.
3. Return the pan (with the asparagus) to the stove over medium-low heat. Push the asparagus to the side of the pan, tip it so the water is on the other side, and stop the butter into the water. Swirl the pan until the butter is emulsified with the water, then roll the asparagus around in the sauce. Cook until the butter sauce thickens slightly, about a minute. Transfer the asparagus to a serving plate, and pour the butter sauce over. Finish with Maldon salt, if desired.
Warm Buttered Asparagus
Ingredients
- About 1 1/2 pounds asparagus
- Sea salt or Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 or 8 pieces
- Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for finishing (optional)
Instructions
- Trim the woody bottom ends off the asparagus stalks, then use a vegetable peeler to peel each stalk to about two-thirds of the way up. This is easiest if you lay the stalk flat on a cutting board as you gently peel, so the stalk doesn't break.
- Bring a wide, shallow pan of water to a boil over high heat and add enough salt to make it taste like the sea. Lay the asparagus in flat (you'll want it completely submerged), cover the pan, and simmer until the asparagus stalks flop down on the ends when you lift them in the middle with tongs – about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes for medium-thin to medium spears, longer for jumbos.
- Return the pan (with the asparagus) to the stove over medium-low heat. Push the asparagus to the side of the pan, tip it so the water is on the other side, and stop the butter into the water. Swirl the pan until the butter is emulsified with the water, then roll the asparagus around in the sauce. Cook until the butter sauce thickens slightly, about a minute. Transfer the asparagus to a serving plate, and pour the butter sauce over. Finish with Maldon salt, if desired.