barbara-in-va
Well-known member
We had tickets with friends to go to Wolf Trap last night for a concert. It is a wonderful outdoor venue, if you have lawn seats you can bring your own picnic. We had pavillion tickets so no food or drink aloud. So, sorta last minute we decided to tailgate, the grounds there are lovely and the weather was PERFECT-no rain for a change! I had bought beautiful asparagus at the farmers market in the morning so I wanted to do something with it. I found the recipe in a little paperback from William-Sonoma called Picnics and Tailgates. It was so good, everyone loved it!
Asparagus with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
1.5 lb thin asparagus
1/4 C water
1 T olive oil
1/4 C drained, oil packed sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 t lemon juice
2 T finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1 T grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
shavings of Parmesan for garnish
Preheat oven to 400°F. Snap off any tough ends of the asparagus stalks. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the outer skin from the bottom 2" of each stalk. Place the asparagus in a roasting pan. Add the water and 1T oil. Roast until tender when pierced 10-15 minutes. Drain, transfer to a transportable container, cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours or for up to 8 hours.
In a food processor with the motor running add the tomatoes and garlic, process until finely minced. Add the vinegar, lemon juice, and basil and process to combine. With the motor still running slowly add the 1/2C oil and process until completely combined. Turn off the motor, add the grated cheese and pulse just to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon about 2/3 of the dressing onto the asparagus. Reserve the remainder in a container with a thight fitting lid to serve on the side. Scatter the Parmesan shavings over the asparagus and keep cool until ready to serve. Serve chilled or at room temp.
Notes: My asparagus was so fresh and tender I did not peel it, just trimmed the bottoms and washed them. I then tossed them in the pan with whatever water was on them and a bit of oil. For the dressing I used some of my oven dried tomatoes from the freezer (they are full of herbs and garlic) left from last summer, in place of the oil packed ones. I started the recipe 1/2 hour before it was time to leave, no chilling involved. I just carried it out with us and served at room temp. Wow, it was delicious!
Asparagus with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
1.5 lb thin asparagus
1/4 C water
1 T olive oil
1/4 C drained, oil packed sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 t lemon juice
2 T finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1 T grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
shavings of Parmesan for garnish
Preheat oven to 400°F. Snap off any tough ends of the asparagus stalks. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the outer skin from the bottom 2" of each stalk. Place the asparagus in a roasting pan. Add the water and 1T oil. Roast until tender when pierced 10-15 minutes. Drain, transfer to a transportable container, cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours or for up to 8 hours.
In a food processor with the motor running add the tomatoes and garlic, process until finely minced. Add the vinegar, lemon juice, and basil and process to combine. With the motor still running slowly add the 1/2C oil and process until completely combined. Turn off the motor, add the grated cheese and pulse just to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon about 2/3 of the dressing onto the asparagus. Reserve the remainder in a container with a thight fitting lid to serve on the side. Scatter the Parmesan shavings over the asparagus and keep cool until ready to serve. Serve chilled or at room temp.
Notes: My asparagus was so fresh and tender I did not peel it, just trimmed the bottoms and washed them. I then tossed them in the pan with whatever water was on them and a bit of oil. For the dressing I used some of my oven dried tomatoes from the freezer (they are full of herbs and garlic) left from last summer, in place of the oil packed ones. I started the recipe 1/2 hour before it was time to leave, no chilling involved. I just carried it out with us and served at room temp. Wow, it was delicious!