Easy Peasy Chilled Asparagus Recipes

CHILLED MARINATED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, lemon juice and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Refrigerate until cool. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add asparagus. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse in cold water., Place asparagus in a large resealable plastic bag; add marinade. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Drain and discard marinade. Place asparagus on a serving plate; sprinkle with pecans.

ASPARAGUS - RICOTTA TARTS

Steps:

• Unfold the pastry onto a piece of parchment paper or foil.
• Roll 1/2" bigger on all sides.
• Slide the paper/foil (and pastry) onto a baking sheet.
• Now, divide the pastry sheet into 8 equal square.
• Lightly brush a 1/4" border of egg around each of the 8 pastry squares.
• Add the 1 Tsp of ricotta mix on each pastry square and spread it to cover the square leaving the edges.
• Top each pastry square with the asparagus (fits 5 stems) and drizzle olive oil on each.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Turn off the oven and transfer the tarts to a serving plate.
• Sprinkle some grated cheese and pepper on each.
• Serve freshly baked.

CHILLED ASPARAGUS WITH CITRUS VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Immediately remove the asparagus from the boiling water and place it into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Once the asparagus has cooled remove it from the water, blot it dry with a towel, and place it in a large bowl.
• In a glass measuring cup combine the remaining ingredients and whisk together to form the citrus vinaigrette. Pour the desired amount of vinaigrette over the asparagus and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, then top with a little more salt and pepper.

BALSAMIC MARINATED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Snap off the tough ends of asparagus and wash asparagus thoroughly.
• Cook asparagus in boiling water for about two minutes, until it's bright green and just beginning to get tender. Drain.
• Place asparagus in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain.
• Lay asparagus in a 13" by 9" baking dish.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
• Pour over asparagus.
• Cover dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
• Chill for about 8 hours.
• Using tongs, remove asparagus from marinade and serve.

ZESTY MARINATED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch asparagus just until tender, about 1 minute. Plunge into a bowl of cold water to cool. Drain asparagus and place in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour in vinaigrette and seal bag. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, turning bag occasionally.
• Just before serving, drain asparagus, reserving vinaigrette. Arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon zest, parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve reserved vinaigrette in a small dish on the side.

ASPARAGUS WITH POACHED EGG AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Separately, heat the oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the minced garlic, lemon juice and zest and asparagus spears. Sauté and use tongs to move the asparagus around until they are cooked through, approximately 3-5 minutes.
• Once the pot of water has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low and ensure that no bubbles are breaking the surface. Add each egg to a ramekin, then gently add to the pot of water. Cook each egg for 3 minutes. Then remove the egg with a slotted spoon and dab and excess water on a paper towel.
• To assemble, add a few asparagus spears to a plate, top with a slice of prosciutto, add a poached egg, season with salt and pepper and garnish with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

CHILLED ASPARAGUS WITH PECANS

Steps:

• Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Remove scales from stalks with a vegetable peeler, if desired. Cook asparagus in boiling salted water to cover 6-8 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Place asparagus in a large heavy-duty, zip-top plastic bag.
• Combine sugar and next 3 ingredients; pour over asparagus. Seal bag securely, and gently turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning once.
• Remove asparagus from marinade, reserving marinade. Place asparagus on a serving platter, and drizzle with reserved marinade. Sprinkle asparagus with toasted pecans and pepper.

EASY-PEASY CHILLED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Cut Asparagus approximately 3 inches off the ends.
• Steam until cooked but still somewhat firm.
• Drain water.
• While still warm,drizzle bottle dressing over top.
• Let it cool for a few minutes .
• Slice lemon into thin slices.
• Arrange Asparagus decoratively on platter with lemon slices and chopped parsley.
• Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.

CHILLED ASPARAGUS WITH SESAME VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Cook asparagus in large skillet of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Pat dry with paper towels. Arrange on platter. Mix sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Asparagus and dressing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.) Spoon dressing over asparagus. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

CHILLED ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• I like asparagus al dente, slightly crunchy. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot over medium heat. Add salt until it tastes like mild seawater. How will you know? Take a little water with a spoon and taste it, then add the sugar.
• Prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl, large enough to hold the asparagus, with cold water. Add some ice cubes. Plunge the asparagus into the ice bath before cooking. This will help to bring any limp stalks back to life. Remove from the ice bath, plunge them into the boiling water and allow them to cook, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water, transferring them immediately to the same ice bath. Allow them to sit in the ice bath for a few minutes, swirling them gently in the water to assure they are all cooling quickly in the cold water.
• The most important step for this dish? Drying the stalks once they are removed from the ice bath. Taking care that no water gets into the final salad is the best way to assure that the maximum flavor will be enjoyed! Transfer the asparagus to a large plate or platter lined with a kitchen towel and refrigerate.
• In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, honey and mustard. Stir to blend. Whisk in the olive oil in an even, steady stream. When all of the oil has been integrated, taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• When ready to serve, remove the kitchen towel from the asparagus and simply toss the asparagus in the dressing to coat them completely. Arrange the stalks on plates and serve.

EASY PEASY CHICKEN, MUSHROOM AND LEEK PIE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F.
• Place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the sliced leeks and the quartered mushrooms into a wide ovenproof pan (see Note 2) and fry over a fairly high heat, stirring regularly, for 3 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Tip the mushrooms and leeks onto a plate and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Allow the pan to heat back up again and then fry the diced chicken for 4 minutes, or until lightly browned on most sides. (The chicken should NOT be fully cooked at this point.)
• Return the mushrooms and leeks to the pan and add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then turn right down low.
• Allow the pie filling to simmer gently for 2 minutes, then add the crème fraîche, black pepper and thyme and stir to combine. When the crème fraiche is fully stirred in, turn the heat off.
• Leave the pan to cool for 2 minutes, then top with scrunched up sheets of filo pastry: simply take each sheet of filo pastry, scrunch it up in your hand and plop it gently on top of the filling. Repeat until the pie is completely covered, then lightly brush with a little olive oil (or melted butter).
• Place the pie into your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until the pie is golden brown on top and the filling is bubbling (see Note 3).
• Serve the chicken pie with your favourite green vegetables, such as green beans, broccoli, cabbage, kale, peas or asparagus

SUNNY'S QUICK CHILLED CARROT SOUP

Steps:

• For the soup: In a powerful blender, add the carrots, 1 cup of the chicken stock, the creme fraiche, onions, lemon juice, maple syrup, ginger, paprika and nutmeg. Blend until smooth. If needed, add a bit more stock to loosen to the desired texture; this soup should be slightly thick. Taste and season with salt. Blend, taste again and season again if needed. Refrigerate.
• For the garnish: In a small dry pan over medium heat, add the pecans, lemon zest and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss and toast until the pecans become fragrant and the lemon zest shines as well.
• Pour the chilled soup into bowls and serve topped with the garnish.