Nice and Easy Does It

At the start of the week, I expected to have at least two good recipes to share with you. But some things didn’t really go as planned. I made corn muffins that were so-so, and a really disastrous cake with olive oil, rosemary, lemon and cornmeal. I guess I should have known that with such a long descriptive, it would never live up to expectations. It tasted ok, but it completely fell apart, even though the toothpick test proclaimed it to be done. I’ve never seen anything like it.
I guess it goes to show that a few good ingredients prepared in a simple, classic way is often the way to go. The recipe that follows isn’t pure genius by any means, but it is satisfying and enjoyable. And it won’t collapse, I promise.



Roasted Asparagus and Pecorino
Use the best ingredients that are available to you, especially fresh lemons for the juice and good quality parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese, and your favorite olive oil. You can serve this dish cold or warm. Just make sure to leave the dressing off the asparagus until ready to serve. Top with the cheese last.

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided
¾ freshly cracked black pepper, divided
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about two lemons)
2 ounces shaved fresh pecorino Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place asparagus on a large sheet pan (you may need to use two). Drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes, tossing half way through the cook time. When the asparagus are done roasting, they should be crisp but tender. Allow the asparagus to cool slightly, if serving warm.
While the oven is preheating, combine 4 tablespoons olive oil with the remaining half teaspoons of salt and pepper and 4 tablespoons lemon juice. Stir with a whisk. When ready to serve the asparagus, drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil mixture and toss. Top with the pecorino Romano and serve immediately.