I love fresh asparagus recipes. And when I say fresh, I mean FRESH. There’s a world of difference between asparagus that’s hours old and days old – if you compare the two size by size, the taste difference is remarkable. Freshly cut asparagus is actually sweet, whereas anything over a few hours old turns slightly bitter (still tasty, but it’s not the same).
I generally poach or steam my asparagus, but this week I had a glut of bacon and Parmesan that needed using. Bacon and asparagus go very well together, as does Parmesan and asparagus, so what was already a delicious vegetable is taken to new heights with a little salty pork and cheese. Then again, what isn’t?
This isn’t one of my super healthy recipes, but it tastes good, so who cares!
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- 4 slices of bacon, chopped into small bits
- Coarse seal salt, like fleur de see
- 1/4 pounds grated Parmesan cheese
- Gently wash asparagus and cut off the hard part at the end – you’ll find it easily if you bend the stalk end to end and see where it’s less flexible.
- In a sauté pan large enough to accommodate the entire length of the asparagus, fry up the bacon bits over medium high heat until they release the bulk of their fat, about 5 minutes. Remove the crispy bacon from the pan and set aside. Add in asparagus and toss gently with bacon fat for the first 1 minute, then let sit for a minute at a time to gently brown the greenery on top of the bacon. Cook for about 6 minutes total. Asparagus should be crispy, not wimpy or soggy at all, and a nice shade of deep green.
- Remove to plate, sprinkle gently with Parmesan cheese and cooked bacon. Serve immediately. It’s best while hot!
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.
