Rebecca Nielsen's Recipe

Sesame Lemon Asparagus

Category: Vegetables

Serves/Makes: 4
Difficulty: 2
Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large bunch asparagus (about 1.5 pounds)
4 T butter
juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 t sesame seeds
3/4 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
4 wedges of lemon for garnish

Preparation:

Trim bottom (woody parts) of the asparagus. Cut into 2 inch pieces. Put into steamer basket over a pan of about 1 1/2 inches of water over med-high heat. Steam for 10-12 minutes or until done to your liking.

While cooking, in a medium skillet, melt butter and add 2 t of the sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Set Aside.

When asparagus is done remove from steamer and put in skillet with the melted butter. Very quickly add lemon juice and toss with tongs. Taste for salt content and adjust if necessary. After putting in serving bowl or on plate, top with rest of sesame seeds. Serve wedge of lemon with each serving.

Cooks Notes - I always like hollandaise sauce on my asparagus, but lets face it, our waist line wouldn't like it too much. This is a very quick way to fancy up a vegetable side dish for your family, and a tasty one too.

I like my asparagus very tender, and find that it seems to absorb the lemon and butter flavors better. You will be eating this wonderful green vegetable more often knowing it only takes a few minutes to make it into a flavorful show piece.