Is there a world record for eating asparagus?
Why yes, there is! The record was set in 2011: Joey Chestnut ate 9lbs, 5.2oz of deep fried asparagus in 10 minutes.
Yikes!
The Crumbs house hasn’t eaten THAT much asparagus, but we also aren’t deep frying the green goodness… maybe if there’s a category for browned butter lemon pepper asparagus, we’d have a fighting chance!
Do you think five pounds in three weeks is competitive?
That’s how much we love asparagus around here and as long as this awesome green vegetable keeps appearing at our farmers markets and local stores, that number will only go up!
Today I’m sharing my current favorite asparagus recipe. It’s ready in five minutes (seriously), requires minimal preparation and ingredients, and goes with just about any meal imaginable.
This recipe is so great, that I never actually plan to eat it. Instead, it’s the official go-to dish whenever the meal has “fresh seasonal vegetable” written beside it, which is pretty often (hence the five pounds so far). It uses browned butter, which not only is amazingly delicious (and nutritious), but it adds just a slight depth to the dish that the bright lemon compliments very well.
Get out, visit your local farmers market and pick up some green (or white) stalks. Make this recipe for dinner tonight and commit it to memory because your family will like it so much, you’ll make this your go-to side dish for Spring too!
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1lb asparagus, trimmed (see below)
- lemon pepper seasoning
- half of one lemon, squeezed for juice (optional)
- salt and pepper
- In a pan large enough to hold most of the asparagus in a single layer, melt butter over medium heat, spreading it around the bottom of the pan to coat.
- Place asparagus in the pan and cover. Cook for approximately five minutes, stirring or shaking the pan every couple minutes to cook evenly. Asparagus is done when it is fork tender and bright green.
- Sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper seasoning. For added lemon flavor, squeeze lemon over asparagus.
- Season with salt and pepper as necessary.
Mmm! I just bought a big bag of asparagus from Costco and used half of it tonight in quinoa pilaf, but had no idea what I’d do with the other half. Now I know! 🙂 Thanks!
Glad I could help Anjanette!