Roasted Asparagus with Feta & Lemon

Follow this link to the original recipe for Grilled Asparagus with Feta.

Instead of grilling, I roasted/baked the asparagus like in this post, then added the feta, lemon zest and lemon juice.

So tasty!!

(not my picture)

Gnocchi with Roasted Shrimp & Asparagus

GNOCCHI WITH ROASTED SHRIMP & ASPARAGUS
recipe found at Cooking with Jamie

4 cups (1 inch) sliced asparagus
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 (16 ounce) package vacuum packed gnocchi
2 tablespoons pesto
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Place asparagus on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; add salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. Add shrimp to the baking sheet with asparagus; cook 5 to 8 minutes until shrimp are done.

Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain gnocchi and return to pot. Add shrimp, asparagus, pesto and shredded cheese. Toss gently.

Yield: 4 servings

Creamy Cheese Tortellini with Asparagus

This recipe was in Gourmet Magazine posted on Epicurious.com, but came to me recommended by a friend.

I made a few changes to the recipe and updated the times. For instance, the recipe said to start with 4 cups of broth, boil and reduce to 1 cup in 6 minutes. I was pretty certain that it would not reduce that fast. I started with 3 cups and it took 20 minutes to reduce to 1 cup.

Anyway, it turned out really good!

Be careful not to cook the asparagus for too long - the more it cooks, the less it will taste like fresh aspaagus and the more it will taste like yucky canned asparagus. (I really hate the canned stuff!)

CREAMY CHEESE TORTELLINI W/ ASPARAGUS

3 cups chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (2 x 1 inch) strips lemon zest
1 (20-25 ounce) package frozen cheese tortellini
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 bunch asparagus (3/4 pound), trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Boil broth with garlic, thyme, pepper and lemon zest in a large saucepot until reduced to about 1 cup, about 20 minutes. Discard garlic pieces and zest.

Meanwhile, cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain.

Stir cornstarch into cream, then whisk into broth. Bring to a simmer, whisking, then continue to simmer about 3 minutes. Add asparagus and simmer until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in cheese and tortellini and cook, gently stirring, until heated through.

Yield: 4 main dish servings

Polynesian Flank Steak and more...

We had a great dinner last night. For some reason I am really proud of this one, everything seemed to go together really well. Also proud because it was an experiment with meat I've never used before and it turned out really good. Of course, the hubby did his fair share being in charge of the grilling.

Polynesian Flank Steak, Grilled Onion Blossoms, Baked Asparagus and White Sangria (coming up in next post)

Here's one of the Grilled Onion Blossoms just off the grill.



GRILLED ONION BLOSSOMS

2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon beef base (Better than Bouillon)
2 Vidalia onions

Prepare 2 squares of heavy duty aluminum foil big enough to wrap around the onions with a little extra at the top. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix together melted butter, mustard, brown sugar and beef base. Set aside.

Peel and cut ends off onions. Cut into eighths without cutting all the way through, you want the onion to hold together. Gently pull onion pieces away from center without breaking them off. You want the liquid to go down in between onion pieces.

Place onion on top of foil square bringing foil partially up around the onion. Pour half of liquid mixture on top of each onion. Bring the foil the rest of the way up and squeeze together at the top leaving a little room for steam. Each one should look like a Hershey’s kiss.

Place on grill and cook for approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Be careful of escaping steam when removing foil.

BAKED ASPARAGUS

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Shake asparagus and olive oil in a plastic bag until asparagus is coated. Lay asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

POLYNESIAN FLANK STEAK

1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound flank steak

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add steak to bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 3 to 6 hours, turning once.

Prepare grill.

Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade. Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 15 to 20 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning and basting frequently with the reserved marinade. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting diagonally across the grain into thin slices.