Best Asparagus With Black Fig Dressing Recipes

ASPARAGUS VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt, and the asparagus. Return to a boil, and cook until asparagus are bright green and tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to ice bath to cool. Drain well, pat dry, and transfer to a serving platter.
• In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, and sugar. Season with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk in oil. Add lemon zest and tarragon; whisk to combine. Taste, and adjust for seasoning. Drizzle over asparagus. Serve immediately, or let stand at room temperature for up to 30 minutes before serving.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH CREAMY LEMON DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim the bottom 2-inches from the asparagus, and if desired, peel the lower 2 inches of the stalks. Place the asparagus in a baking pan. Don't worry if the stalks overlap a bit. Drizzle the tablespoon of olive oil over them and toss gently to coat the asparagus evenly. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper, toss again, and spread out in the pan.
• Roast the asparagus for 10 to 14 minutes, until just tender and slightly browned. Remember that they will continue to cook a bit after you remove them from the oven, so take them out while they're still a little firmer than you would like.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, crème fraiche, and Sriracha until smooth. Slowly pour in the ⅓ cup olive oil, whisking all the while until the dressing is thick, then season with salt and pepper.
• Let the asparagus cool slightly, and while still warm drizzle over some of the lemon sauce. Serve right away with the rest of the sauce passed on the side if desired.

BUTTER-BRAISED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Snap off and discard the tough bottoms of the asparagus spears. If using large, thick asparagus, peel the lower ends with a vegetable peeler.
• Put butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus in one layer and season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the asparagus is firm-tender, about 3 minutes. Take care not to overcook them; they should still be bright green. (They will continue to cook a bit once the heat is off.) Remove the asparagus from the pan and place on a serving platter.
• Turn heat to high and simmer briskly until most of the liquid has evaporated, a minute or so. Add lemon juice and zest to the buttery juices. Turn off heat and stir in chives, parsley, tarragon and dill, if using. Check seasoning. Spoon the sauce over the asparagus, garnish with a few herb leaves, and serve.

ASPARAGUS WITH MUSTARD DRESSING

Steps:

• Blanch asparagus in large quantity of salted water and refresh. Pat dry and cut stalks in to 1-inch sections.
• In a bowl combine dashi, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard and lemon zest. Mix asparagus with dressing just before serving. Garnish with julienned lemon rind

ASPARAGUS WITH TANGY-SMOKY DRESSING

Steps:

• In a large pot of water over medium heat, add the asparagus spears and steam until barely tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the dressing: Put the egg yolks in a small bowl and break them up with a fork until no clumps remain. Add the mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, to taste, and whisk until smooth. Drizzle in the olive oil, while whisking, to make a creamy dressing. Arrange the asparagus on serving plates. Chop the egg whites and sprinkle them over the asparagus along with the lemon zest and capers. Drizzle with the dressing and top with freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.
• Lay the eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook for 1 minute. Cover with a lid, turn off the heat, and allow the eggs to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large bowl toss the asparagus in the olive oil, and liberally season with salt and pepper. Spread the stalks out on a baking sheet, in a single layer, and roast until tender but still firm and moist, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, vigorously whisk together the mustard and lemon juice. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking quickly to emulsify the olive oil into the juice mixture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Transfer the asparagus to a serving platter, toss with the vinaigrette and serve. The dish may be eaten warm or cold.

FRIED ASPARAGUS WITH CAESAR DRESSING

Steps:

• Combine the egg yolks, garlic, vinegar, pepper, anchovies, fish sauce (if using) and Tabasco in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, a little at a time, until the mixture emulsifies and thickens. Add lemon juice to taste and water to thin to a creamy consistency.
• Meanwhile, heat about 1/2 inch of oil to 350 degrees in a skillet. Beat together the eggs and cream, and add a little salt and pepper. Dredge the asparagus and the scallions in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, and fry, in batches if necessary, turning once, until nicely browned, about 5 minutes.
• Drain on paper towels, and arrange on plates; drizzle with the dressing, top with the Parmesan, and serve with lemon wedges.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON DRESSING

Steps:

• Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus; most spears will break naturally an inch or two above the bottom. Peel the stalks up to the flower bud. Meanwhile, start a grill or preheat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it smokes.
• To grill the asparagus, toss them with about 1 tablespoon of the oil, mixing with your hands until they're coated. Season well with salt and pepper to taste. Grill until tender and browned in spots, turning once or twice, a total of 5 to 10 minutes.
• To pan-grill the asparagus, do not oil or season them. Just toss them in the hot skillet and cook, turning the individual spears as they brown, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove as they finish and season with salt and pepper.
• Mix together the lemon juice and shallot, then stir in enough olive oil to add a little body and take the edge off the sharpness of the lemon; the mixture should still be quite strong. Season it with salt and plenty of black pepper and stir in the parsley. Serve the asparagus hot or at room temperature with grilled or broiled swordfish, monkfish, or other sturdy fish. Spoon the sauce over all.
• You could serve these grilled asparagus with any of the vinaigrettes on page 304 in lieu of the lemon-shallot-parsley mixture here. If you were serving them as part of an Asian-themed meal, you might swap out the dressing in this recipe for Soy-Ginger Dressing: Combine 1/4 cup soy sauce with 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons rice or other mild vinegar, and a few drops of sesame oil. Serve over the asparagus.

ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD WITH ITALIAN DRESSING

Steps:

• For the dressing: Whisk together all of the ingredients in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
• For the pasta salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, just until al dente. Add the asparagus and cook it with the pasta for 1 more minute. Drain the pasta and asparagus then rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.
• Transfer the pasta and asparagus to a large bowl. Stir in the onions and tomatoes. Pour the dressing over the pasta, toss to combine, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight. When ready to serve, stir in the Parmesan and enjoy cold or at room temperature.

COLD ASPARAGUS WITH MUSTARD DRESSING

Steps:

• Steam asparagus until crisp but fork tender Chill in cold water to stop cooking process.
• Mix together ingredients.
• Add asparagus to mixture and toss.
• Let stand in refidgerator for at least 1 hour.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
• Place asparagus in a shallow 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with oil, salt, and pepper; toss to coat.
• Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle with vinegar just before serving.

PAN-SEARED ASPARAGUS WITH CRISPY GARLIC

Steps:

• Place a paper towel-lined plate next to the stove. In a medium or large skillet, combine the garlic and olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook, shaking the skillet often, until the garlic is very light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, tilt it, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic to the towel-lined plate, leaving the remaining oil in the skillet. Season the crispy garlic with salt.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and cook, shaking often, until bright green, crisp-tender and browned in spots, 4 to 5 minutes. Slide onto a platter, including any oil in the skillet. Top with the garlic chips and season again with salt and pepper.

ASPARAGUS WITH BLACK FIG DRESSING

Steps:

• Boil vinegar in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Pour vinegar into large bowl. Combine water with no salt seasoning. Whisk into vinegar along with mustard, marjoram, garlic, almond butter and ketchup. Set dressing aside. Sauté asparagus in small amount of water, stirring over high heat for 3 minutes, then cover and steam for 1 minute. Remove to a bowl. In same pan, sauté bell peppers in a small amount of water for 1 minute. Add asparagus and bell peppers to dressing; toss to blend well. Sprinkle with pecans if desired. Note: Lightly toast pecans in a 200 degree oven for 3 minutes.