Burnt Orange on an Asparagus Bed with Shallots

 

I've learned that there's no better way to end a conversation than to say that you've started a cooking blog. Maybe there is though: mention the blog is dedicated to shallots and asparagus. Even polite people are overcome with a glazed look of apathy. They find excuses to stop talking to you. It's a little impressive. So if you're reading this I probably know you personally and I was able to compel you through guilt, shame or barter to visit this page. Thank you. Your sacrifice is appreciated. It was brought to my attention that most of my recipes include shallots and asparagus. This is my effort to database them all into one concise location. I am hopefully going to have a new recipe published every Monday. Please feel free to check back to see what I have come up with. Naturally though I am going to assume that if you become a regular, then I must know something really shameful about you. Enjoy!

I wanted to just start with one of my favorite shallot and asparagus recipes. It's really easy, it's delicious and it's almost impossible to do wrong. The way I prefer to do it is to use an orange and to over-do it just a little to give it all a burnt, blackened feel. It doesn't matter what you use as long as you use something with some citric acid. I've tried most everything that's laying around the kitchen at one point or another. Oranges have been my favorite. You can add a clove of garlic if you like or whatever spices you're prone to use.  Cooking by recipe is like painting by number so feel free to experiment and add your own interpretation.

w/ lemon

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Asparagus
1 large shallot or two moderate sized shallots
1 whole orange sliced
Salt/Pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil

w/ lime

w/ cherry tomatoes

w/ orange

Instructions:

Cut the coarse ends off the asparagus. Lay across pan. I like to use cast iron but a cookie sheet will suffice. Take chopped shallots and sprinkle them over the asparagus. Add salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over it all. Put the slices of orange across the top. Broil for 8-10 minutes, or at least until the citrus slices start to blacken.