...excite your taste buds...

So many excellent cooks have contributed to this tasty dish. Thank you Kate and Mac!! The size of asparagus varies by season and location. This works well with green and white ones and you cannot miss the flavor this brings out from these delicate spears.


1 Hand full bunch of asparagus, thin or thick, your preference


This part can be any combination of your choice and degree of flavor as it is very flexible.


Extra virgin olive oil
Himalayan Pink Salt
White pepper, course ground
juice of one Lemon
Garlic powder, course chop fresh or pressed
Mix and brush on asparagus. Set aside for 10 min or longer is fine.

These look very large, but I am using my counter top convection oven for just the two of us. I always parchment line the pan my oven came with as it easily can be tossed when done and reduces cleanup. Some BBQ at this point, but with all the fire restrictions with this drought in Texas I am using this method. If you are lucky, BBQ them by all means!!


Set in a preheated broil setting for about 5 minutes, rolling them after 2. If thick ones are used you may have to add up to 2 minutes. I noticed in my oven and these thick ones I added the 2 minutes and still had a nice crisp outside and delicious inside.


We served this with basmati rice and small chicken in garlic pan fried.

Cut up three pieces of thigh boneless, skinless chicken. Drench with remaining asparagus marinade. Heat skillet set on medium high with a little olive oil. When hot, toss in chicken, allow to brown a bit before turning. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes depending upon your heat and allow for browning.

Serve hot, to do this start with the rice and when that is done then do the chicken and lastly the asparagus. Spring treat for the hungry two of you.

Ratatouille

Oven temperature 350

Baking time 30 minutes

Preparation time 30 minutes

Serves 6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• sharp knife
• cast iron dutch oven
• Hint: Use small vegetables as the flavor will be better. If you do use the medium or large vegetables it will double the amount that I used here and you will need to add 15-20 minutes to the cooking time...and quite possibly need a second pot to cook it all in!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2. 1 Sweet Onion, diced
3. 2 Cans drained, diced organic tomatoes
4. 1 each red, yellow and orange sweet bell pepper, sliced 1/4" thin
5. 1 eggplant, sliced 1/4" thin (you may easily replace with a turnip, sliced 1/4" thin, works equally well)
6. 1 zucchini, sliced 1/4" thin
7. 1 yellow squash, sliced 1/4" thin
8. 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
9. 1/2 teaspoon each of dill, thyme, parsley and crushed rosemary
10. Sea Salt
11. Black or white pepper

It is more about assembly, the beauty of alternating rounds of each of the vegetables.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in dutch oven pan. 

Toss tomatoes and garlic together and place in bottom.

Place the diced sweet onion next, spreading evenly on top.

Start placing alternate remaining vegetable rounds on top.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil, herbs, salt and pepper all over and between groups of the vegetables. Sprinkle a little more over all the tops.

I like to group and bunch up some of the vegetables for the donut hole center of the ring of vegetables.

Place lid on dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve along with your choice rice, potatoes and savory meat.

We like it served on garlic mashed potatoes and some grilled Texas Mesquite sausage.