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1
Cook the onion in the oil in a saucepan until the onions soft.
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2
Add the garlic and stir in.
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3
Add the rice and stir it over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
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4
Meanwhile, heat up the stock.
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5
Pour the heated stock into the rice (itll sizzle a lot at first).
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6
Add the cut-up asparagus stalks (not the tips), stir it all together, lower the heat, and cook white rice for 15 minutes or brown rice for 30 minutes.
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7
Then add the asparagus tips, Parmesan, and cream and continue to cook until the rice is tender.
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8
Taste and add salt as needed.
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9
Preheat the oven to 300F.
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10
Saute the onions in the butter in a skillet for 5 minutes.
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11
Put them in a large bowl.
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12
Add the salt, nutmeg, pepper, cheese, and half of the bread crumbs.
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13
Beat in the eggs.
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14
Bring the milk to a boil and stir into the mixture.
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15
Mash the asparagus into the liquid with a fork or potato masher until the asparagus is in small chunks.
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16
Grease a 2-quart mold or baking dish and coat it with the remaining bread crumbs.
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17
Pour the asparagus mixture into the dish.
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18
Put that dish into a larger pan on the bottom rack of your oven.
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19
Fill the outer pan halfway with boiling water.
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20
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
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21
Cut up the chilled asparagus and combine it with the lettuce and red peppers.
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22
Dress with a mixture of 1 part lemon juice to 2 parts canola oil.
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23
Add a dash of soy sauce.
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24
Cover with about 1/4 cup sesame seeds that have been toasted in a 350F oven on a baking sheet for 5 minutes.
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25
Add bouillon to the cooking water next time.
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26
For now, sprinkle the asparagus with ground mustard seed or toasted sesame oil (along with some sesame seeds)or use seasoned salt, or flavored butter, or tamari soy sauce.
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27
Or toss with chopped toasted nuts (almonds or hazelnuts are particularly good).
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28
Run a bit of cold tap water into the spaces in the carton; the asparagus should loosen up at once.
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29
Not a problem.
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30
Asparagus displays beautifully in small quantities.
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31
If youre serving a special dinner, arrange the spears in a bunch or hold them in the middle and fan out the tips and bottoms.
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32
Tie the middle of the bunch together with a vegetable ribbon (a thin ribbon of cabbage, lettuce, red bell pepper, chives, or scallioneven a shaving of carrot will do) and arrange gracefully.
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33
If youre feeding family, make the following recipe.
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34
Add a pinch of sugar (for sweetness) and 1/4 teaspoon salt (to help retain color and flavor) to each 1 cup of cooking water.
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35
Easy answermake soup.
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36
The very simplest way to do this would be to take a can of cream of anything soup, prepare it, chop up the overcooked asparagus, and combine it with the soup.
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37
No canned soup or want something a bit more homemade tasting?
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38
Make a cream sauce.
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39
(Any general cookbookor the Internetwill have a simple recipe.)
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40
Chop up the tips of the asparagus and put them aside.
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41
Puree the rest of the asparagus stems in your food processor or blender.
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42
Add the white sauce.
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43
Put this lovely glop into a saucepan over low heat.
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44
Thin to the desired consistency with stock or bouillon and add the reserved chopped tips.
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45
Hoping to keep your heart healthy?
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46
Forgo the cream sauce.
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47
Puree the asparagus with broth and thicken as needed with potato flakes.
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48
The following recipe is not only great for using up overcooked asparagus, its a tasty main course.
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49
See Appendix B regarding frozen food that has thawed before you are ready for it.
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50
It freezes well.
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51
Blanch spears in boiling water for 2 to 4 minutes (depending on their thickness), plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking, drain, dry, and freeze in freezer bags.
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52
Or cook it all, refrigerate it, and use some the next day.
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53
It works beautifully chopped up in a quiche or frittata
