Alisons Lemon Dip W Asparagus Spears Recipes

ASPARAGUS AND GREEN BEANS WITH TARRAGON LEMON DIP

Steps:

• Cook asparagus spears and green beans in 1-inch of salted boiling water, covered, for 3 or 4 minutes. Drain and cool the vegetables and arrange them on a serving plate. Combine the dip ingredients in a small bowl and garnish with sprigs of parsley and tarragon and set dip along side vegetables on serving dish.

LEMON-SESAME ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Place the asparagus in a large pot filled with water 1 inch deep. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, but still bright green. This will take about 5 minutes, or longer if your asparagus spears are thick. Drain and place on a serving dish.
• Meanwhile, melt the margarine or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sesame seeds, and cook, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown and toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• To serve, pour sauce over the cooked asparagus.

BATTER FRIED ASPARAGUS WITH HERB OR LEMON DIPPING SAUCES

Steps:

• After cutting off the tough stems of the asparagus, wash well and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place oven rack in the middle position; preheat oven to 200°F
• In a bowl wide enough to easily batter-coat the spears, add the flour, egg, wine, lemon zest, onion powder, celery salt, Kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Whisk together until well blended; batter should be on the thickish side. Let sit at least one (1) hour.
• For the dipping sauces:.
• HERB: Mix all of the herbs with the mayonnaise, season to taste. Chill, covered, until ready to serve.
• LEMON: Stir together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Chill, covered, until ready to serve
• Blanch the asparagus spears in boiling water. Drain, immediately run VERY cold water over them; blot dry on paper towels and set aside.
• Heat 3 inches oil in a 3 to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until it registers 375°F on a deep-fat thermometer. (COOK'S TIP: Remember to return the oil to 375°F between batches of asparagus.).
• Dip the asparagus spears ONE-AT-A-TIME in the batter - Coat completely. Gently lower the spear into the hot oil. Repeat with remaining asparagus spears, but DO NOT CROWD. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning with a slotted spoon until lighlty golden.
• Remove each asparagus spear with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet; if desired, sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Keep warm in the pre-heated oven for up to 20 minutes.
• Serve warm with one or both of the dipping sauces.

LEMON ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Coat asparagus with vegetable and arrange on a baking sheet. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
• Roast in preheated oven until lightly browned at the tips, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine lemon juice, butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in on high in microwave until butter is completely melted, about 1 minute; stir to combine. Pour butter mixture over roasted asparagus and toss to coat.

ASPARAGUS FRIES WITH SOUR CREAM AND CHIVE DIP

Steps:

• For the sour cream and chive dip: Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, chives, garlic, lemon zest and juice and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. You can make this up to 2 days before as it gets better tasting with time.
• For the asparagus tempura: Fill a 9- to 11-inch saucepan, large pot or large Dutch oven with about 4 inches of oil. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 to 360 degrees F. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
• Whisk the flour, cornstarch and baking soda together in a large bowl. Transfer half of the of the flour mixture to a second large bowl. Keep the club soda nearby, but don't make the batter until you're ready to fry.
• Create an assembly line from left to right: the asparagus, one bowl of flour mixture for dredging and the second bowl of flour mixture that will become your tempura batter.
• When you're ready to fry, stir the club soda into the second bowl of flour.
• To fry, use your fingers to dip 2 to 3 asparagus spears into the dredging flour, shake off the excess, then dip in the batter. Lay or slide the coated asparagus into the hot oil and deep-fry until golden, about 3 minutes, turning it in the oil for even cooking. Lift the cooked asparagus with tongs or a spider and let excess oil drip back into the pan before transferring to the prepared wire rack. Skim the surface of the oil occasionally to keep it clean and to fish out stray crispy tempura bits.
• Bring the oil back to 350 to 360 degrees F between batches. Stir the batter to keep it from separating, then repeat with the remaining asparagus. Serve the fries immediately with the dip.

ASPARAGUS AND GREEN BEANS WITH TARRAGON LEMON DIP

Steps:

• Place 1 in. of water in a Dutch oven; add asparagus and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drain vegetables; transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with dip.

LEMONY MARINATED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Snap or trim the tough ends of the asparagus and discard. Wash asparagus thoroughly.
• Fill a large bowl with water and ice. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot filled 3/4 of the way full with water to a full boil. Immerse asparagus and cook for about two minutes, until bright green.
• Plunge asparagus in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain.
• Lay asparagus in an 8 x 8 baking dish or container.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, honey, salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasons if desired.
• Pour vinaigrette over asparagus. Cover dish and refrigerate for 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.
• Remove asparagus from marinade and serve.

ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON-HERB SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring broth to boil in large pot. Add asparagus; cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, transfer asparagus to large bowl of ice water. Reserve 1 cup broth in small bowl. Drain asparagus; pat dry. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap asparagus in paper towels. Seal in plastic bag. Cover broth. Chill asparagus and broth.)
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup green onions, shallots and sugar. Sauté until onions and shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in reserved 1 cup broth, 1 tablespoon oil, mustard, lemon juice, thyme and lemon peel. Simmer until slightly thickened and liquid is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature.
• Arrange asparagus on platter. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup green onions and bell peppers.

ASPARAGUS WITH WASABI-MAYONNAISE DIP

Steps:

• Blanch asparagus in 2 batches in a large saucepan of boiling salted water 1 minute. Transfer to a colander and rinse under cold running water to stop cooking. Drain well and pat dry.
• Whisk together mayonnaise, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, and wasabi paste until sugar is dissolved.
• Serve asparagus with dip.

ASPARAGUS WITH YOGURT DIP

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves, and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chilled steamed asparagus with dip.