Mustard, soy, honey elevate asparagus

The Associated Press

Asparagus is by far the favourite vegetable of the d’Arabian family.

All four of my school-aged daughters truly love it. I can serve nearly three pounds of asparagus at the table a couple of times of week to my family of six, and the girls will still argue over who gets the last stalk.

I say this not to impress you with the adventurous palettes of my kids; I am not the mom whose 3-year-old loved sushi and kale salad. I say this to encourage you to try different ways of serving asparagus to your family, especially if they aren’t huge vegetable-lovers.

A cup of asparagus provides more than 10 per cent of your daily requirement of at least 10 vitamins and minerals. The same cup has 3 grams each of protein and fiber, so it’s filling, and is under 30 calories. So it’s a worthy investment to get your family on board.

Today’s recipe is a simple, but flavourful saute. I use soy sauce instead of salt, which adds “oompf.”

Dijon mustard and honey create a luscious glaze that make the asparagus sing.

Whatever you decide to do with the asparagus, you can turn leftovers into a soup by whirring up with a little broth and lemon juice in a blender until smooth. SAUTEED ASPARAGUS IN SOY

SAUCE GLAZE Servings: 6 Start to finish: 15 minutes 1 1/2 pounds of fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced pinch red pepper flakes (optional) 2 teaspoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon honey 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Rinse trimmed asparagus stalks, and shake dry, leaving them damp. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) and stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant and starting to turn golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook for two minutes, stirring with the wooden spoon. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce and lemon juice. Carefully pour over the asparagus, and stir once to disperse the sauce. Cover with a lid (or a baking sheet if pan is too large for a lid), and let steam for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, mix honey and mustard in the small bowl. Uncover the asparagus and stir. Drizzle or spoon the honey mustard mixture over the asparagus and cook until a glaze just starts to form (it will thicken as it cools), about two more minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a platter and serve.

See melissadarabian.net.