Welcome to Seasoned Cooking and to Phil's International Flair!
Asparagus has to be one of my favorite vegetables. I generally cook green beans with bacon, however a few nights ago I thought to use asparagus instead. The results were outstanding! There were no leftovers with this dish. I ate them all.
Now, on to the recipe! Be well, and good eating!
Asparagus with Bacon
Before frying the bacon, cut it into segments about 1 inch long. This saves time and allows you to cook the bacon in a pot rather than a skillet.
To cut the asparagus, begin at the tip and slice at an angle, about 1 inch down from the tip. Rotate the stem 1/4 turn, or 90 degrees, and slice again at an angle about 1 inch down from the previous slice. Repeat the slice and rotate until the entire stem has been sliced. This is known as a French cut. If the bottom section of a spear appears to be pithy or tough, discard the bottom slice.
- 1/2 lb. bacon, fried crisp
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 lb. asparagus, French cut
- 1/4 tsp. dried basil
- 1/8 tsp. dried summer savory
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Fry the bacon in a pot over medium heat until crisp and then drain the grease. Add the butter and asparagus slices to the bacon. Season the mixture with the herbs, salt and pepper. Add about 1/4 cup water to the pot, plus the juice from half a lemon. Stir, cover and simmer over low heat until the asparagus is tender, about 7 minutes. Serve hot as a side dish.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes