I was out shopping at my favorite organic food store, when I noticed a few bunches of purple asparagus on a manager’s sale. It was priced at only $1 a pound, so I purchased a little over a dollar’s worth.
I wasn’t sure how to cook it, so I checked some recipes online. I found out you can pretty much interchange green, white or purple asparagus in recipes.
This color of asparagus apparently is a little sweeter and has a 20% higher sugar content than green asparagus. It is also less fibrous and more tender than green or white asparagus.
The purple color of this plant originated in Italy.
When heated, the stalks lose some of their purple color.
Composting Ends/Peels
I peeled my stalks since some were quite large. This took away some of the purple coloring.
In looking over recipes, some people save the scrap ends for making soup bases, etc.
However, I’m going to compost my scraps in the garden.
I went ahead and roasted my asparagus. Check, out the below recipe.
Oven Roasted Purple Asparagus Recipe
Ingredients:
- One pound of fresh Asparagus
- Pepper to taste
- 1 Teaspoon of Onion Salt
- 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
Directions:
- Wash, cut tough ends off and peel asparagus stalks. If the stalks seem too large or thick, carefully cut them in to two length-wise pieces.
- Spray a large sheet with nonstick spray.
- Arrange the stalks in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Add onion salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix ingredients with hands. Every stalk should be coated with olive oil.
- Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 400 degree F. oven.
Ending Comments
I served this recipe with beef steak strips.
The stalks were tender but I am not tasting any additional sweetness with it.
I, also, enjoyed my meal with my family.
