Roasted Asparagus

For anyone like me, remembering the disgusting, slimy, green goop called asparagus that came from a can years ago, the discovery of fresh, roasted asparagus was a real find. It was Julia Child in The Way to Cook, who taught me that even thick spears can be delightful. So here's the scoop on this wonderful vegetable. If you can find skinny spears, you need just cut off the woody ends, soak them in water to clean them, dry them on a clean cloth towel, and roast. If the spears are thick, and I actually like them better when they are, cut off the woody ends then peel the bottom half with a potato peeler. Wash and dry as above. Lay the dry spears sideways in a heavy plastic bag. Add 1 teaspoon good olive oil and a few drops (and I mean a few drops, it has a strong taste) of sesame oil. If you'd like, add a bit of soy sauce or balsamic vinegar. Push all the air out of the bag and seal it. Now gently roll the asparagus in your hands, so the spears get evenly coated with the oils.

Line a shallow baking dish with foil, and lay the spears in the dish. You can do this several hours ahead and leave them on the counter.

Depending on the temperature of your oven, they will roast nicely in 15 to 25 minutes. (You may have something else in the oven at the same time). Last Saturday, when I removed the tenderloin to rest, I put the oven back up to 400 degrees and popped in the asparagus. By now I was gently heating the gravy, and starting to microwave the potatoes I had made a few days before. All that was left was to slice the meat when the asparagus was ready. Because we'd had soup and salad, and some dessert was in the offing, I didn't serve any rolls. Learning not to make too much food took me a while. The asparagus is delicious left over, I prefer not to heat it but sneak cold spears out of the refrigerator and into my mouth.