^[1]

^[2]Nothing fancy about this — just a quick and easy side dish we like to eat.

Diane at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang ^[3] has determined the secret ingredient for Friday Foodie Fix this week is asparagus ^[4]. Asparagus is great raw, dipped in salad dressing or other yummy sauce. But, I don’t usually eat it that way. We usually steam it, or quickly saute it in a pan on the stove to eat with dinner. I don’t know if you really need a recipe for this, but I wrote it up anyway:

Simply Tasty Asparagus

Ingredients:

Asparagus (one bunch usually serves 4)
salt and pepper for taste
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Directions:

1. Gently clean asparagus and snap off the bottom woody part of the stems.
2. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a pan on the stove.
3. Carefully place the asparagus into the pan. (Beware: If the asparagus is wet, the hot oil will splatter.)
4. Watch the asparagus carefully and toss it around to promote even cooking.  It should only take about 5 minutes to cook.
5. Add a little salt and pepper. And, at the last minute sprinkle on the Parmesan. Don’t leave it in the pan too long or the Parmesan will burn.

Additional Notes:

• For additional flavor, omit the Parmesan and drizzle a creamy sauce over the asparagus.
  • Try the Parmesan sauce in my Broiled Fish recipe ^[5].
  • Also good is a dill sauce: Mix together 1/2 Cup mayonnaise, 1/4 Cup mustard, 1 tsp dried dill, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried basil. If desired, you can use a TBSP of milk or lemon juice to thin the sauce.