Just use your vegetable peeler to take off that tough outer layer. The interior is white and tender!

I snap rather than cut asparagus; they will snap at the right place. If the asparagus are thick, you can peel them; simmer in broth; when tender use a stick blender to puree to make a soup base.

I snap mine too. You can save the ends to use in homemade stocks too.

Deanna

Just don't do what I saw recently at the grocery store: Some ends snapped off and laying in the asparagus bin so the buyer didn't have to pay for dead weight! Some people...

Yep, freeze them and use them in stock. There's some seriously good flavor in those woody ends.

A snapper here too.

I'm lazy when it comes to prepping stuff. I snap them, rinse them and put them while still wet into a glass rectangular baking dish, then cover the dish with plastic wrap and put it in the microwave and leave them there. Then I cook whatever else I'm cooking for the meal, and about 4 or 5 minutes prior to the main dish being done I nuke the asparagus. There's enough moisture clinging to the stalks to steam them perfectly. 3 minutes for skinny spears and 5 minutes for big ones.

Fat ones peel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgubTEdTOfU&feature=related

Skinny ones snap.

dcarch

High heat roasting is the hands down favorite at our table. Second is Cream of Asparagus soup. Sadly every time I buy asparagus for soup, I end up roasting it.

That's not sad.........that's perfect!
Roasted is my favorite too.

And steamed.
And boiled.
And pickled.
And soup.

Yes, I like asparagus. :-)

Deanna

I also like asparagus, and fortunately it's grown in the county right next to me, so I can buy it right out of the field. It used to be 50 cents a pound, last year I think it was 70 cents. I buy cases of it.

I also snap. It's a myth that "fat" asparagus is tougher than skinny asparagus, in truth it's the opposite. And I snap them all, fat and skinny, and use the ends in soup. I never knew anyone even peeled asparagus until a couple of years ago, when Mustangs bought me an asparagus peeler. I still haven't peeled any, LOL, maybe because mine's so fresh it's more tender, I don't know.

I like it best roasted until it's crispy, second best is putting it into a microwave bag with a drizzle of sesame oil and some sesame seeds and cooking it just until tender but not mushy.

Then there is asparagus soup and stirfry and batter dipped and deep fried and used in quiche and wrapped in a slice of turkey with herbed cream cheese. Anyway is good for me except pickled, I just don't like it pickled. Or canned, ugh, it's way too soft.

Annie

Would anyone be willing to post a guideline/recipe for asparagus soup using the snapped off ends?????

Compost is great, but I'd rather make soup with the discarded pieces.

Thank you!!

seagrass

I've found that, instead of snapping, I can detect the right cut-off point by the feel of the knife. I start a cut by the eyeball method and, if it feels too resistant, I move up the stalk a bit and make the cut. This makes a nicer finish than snapping. I cut on the diagonal and, if I want several pieces instead of a long stalk, I keep cutting diagonals, rolling the stalk a bit with each cut. This is what Irene Kuo (The Key to Chinese Cooking) calls a roll cut. It produces attractive pieces. I use it with carrots and other vegetables too.

Asparagus is good stir fried with fermented black beans and a splash of soy sauce near the end of cooking. Soy sauce colors the asparagus in an interesting way, soaking more into the cut part than the smooth skin.

When I steam asparagus I make extra for later use as a salad. Cold asparagus dressed with vinaigrette is very good. Actually vinaigrette is good on hot asparagus too. Something similar is asparagus a la grecque. Or, combined with other vegetables, vegetables a la grecque. This is a good dish for a buffet.

Jim

Thanks eveybody for the hints. It just bothered me a little bit to throw all of the ends away. Seems like I once heard Rachael Ray say to save them. I never heard of peeling the asparagus. Makes sense, but what is an asparagus peeler? I always snap one and then cut the rest of them off at that point rather than snapping each one. I will have to try the roasting thing although I don't often turn the oven on for just me but perhaps I could use the toaster oven. I can't imagine anybody being so rude as to snap the bottoms off at the store. It takes all kinds of people and I never fail to be shocked at things people do. I have my own asparagus patch and am in Seventh Heaven every spring when I have it available, but it is one of the vegetables that I use often--doesn't have many calories either. I don't care for it cold, but my daughter loves to walk out in the garden, snap off a tender shoot, brush it off and chomp it right there. Don't much care for chinese food but might try the soy on there. Anyway, thanks a millin. You folks never fail to "step up to the plate". - Barb

I am an Asparagus lover, peeler, cut on diagonal, roaster (+splash of balsamic for a change), cook on the grill, try almost any new recipe for asparagus. It is always very expensive here.

I linked to the peeler - I know nothing about the seller, but they have a very cool asparagus serving tongs also - for the kitchen that has everything- doesn't everyone serve one stalk at a time??? (Okay... dcarch might:)

Here is a link that might be useful: Asparagus Peeler

Speaking of silly asparagus implements, what about those special asparagus cooking pots, the ones which let you steam your asparagus standing upright? Don't you think the asparagus must cook so much better that way than lying down? Those things hold about 8 times as much asparagus as I would cook at one time.

I have never peeled an asparagus stalk and, although it can be awkward, I get by without asparagus tongs.

Those asparagus tongs make me think of the game I have with my son of finding useless kitchen gadgets. My favorites so far are the rubber tipped tongs made especially for picking up coffee filters one at a time.

Jim

I'm with Seagrass - does anyone have a T&T asparagus soup that they just love and would share the recipe?

Beth

A hint for cleaning: stand the stalks in warm water in a glass, tips down. The warm water opens the tips slightly so any fine sand or dirt can be rinsed away. I swish a little, then rinse under cold running water.

I love asparagus too, but not thrilled about its side effects :)

" Posted by magothyrivergirl ---------------------- I linked to the peeler - I know nothing about the seller, but they have a very cool asparagus serving tongs also - for the kitchen that has everything- doesn't everyone serve one stalk at a time??? (Okay... dcarch might:) Here is a link that might be useful: Asparagus Peeler"

LOL! I do have an asparagus plate, and of course I have an asparagus peeler.

dcarch

Barb, when I'm making asparagus soup, well, really, cream of asparagus soup, I take the end that I've snapped, trim off the very bottoms and then split the ends in half. Those get cooked in chicken broth until they are tender. I put the asparagus pieces in the blender and puree, I've even put them through a sieve after pureeing, but I think that's unncessary for an every day soup, I'd probably do it for a company soup where I wanted it very velvety.

I do use some asparagus stems in addition to the ends, and I steam and save some of those tips for garnish. You can make a nice pot of soup with ends and just a few extra stalks that way.

Here is my recipe, but I incorporate the ends into it as I described above:

Asparagus Soup

1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 cup 1% milk
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in butter until tender, but do not brown. Cook asparagus in chicken broth until tender, then puree with onion and garlic. Use a bit of the broth for liquid if you need it. Return to heat, add milk and heat through, add salt and pepper to taste.

This is quick, easy and delicious.

Annie

Annie - thanks for the recipe.

dcarch - I like your peeler better than mine and love the asparagus plates. I also peel the pointy scales if they aren't tender~my family laughs and criticizes me for peeling, but who cares??? They always eat the asparagus!
This is one of the gadgets I wondered how I lived without it before I got it :)
The Sale price of Mexican Asparagus yesterday at Whole Foods was $3.49/lb. I walked right on past it.

Sheesh! I bought asparagus from who-knows-where today for $1.19 per lb. Yes it is the fat kind that I usually eschew, but i have found a use for it! I make it with the crispy proscuitto and balsamic and it is wonderful.

Not to get too far afield, if I had a bunch of asparagus stumps left over (that is what DH calls them) I would probably do a fast stirfry with them and whatever other pasta primavera type veggies I had on hand and toss them with some long pasta - like linguini.

I love asparagus this time of year, but by the time it is local I wll probably be sick of it again LOLOLOL!

Alexa

I made asparagus soup once. Just peeled the ends with a potato peeler, boiled in some bouillon, thinned with either a white sauce or some cream. I'm not sure what else I put in it, it's been a while. I'd make some this week but I have a gazillion cups of minestrone to eat.