Marinated Asparagus

As I do every Friday, I am posting one of my favorite recipes, or at least one we have tried and enjoyed in our home. This week as I was trying to decide which recipe to post, a friend of ours, who recently had a baby, called me up (actually her husband did) and asked if I would give them the recipe for this asparagus so I decided that would be the recipe to post this week!

My aunt gave me this recipe when I was putting together a cookbook for my niece's wedding. Here is what she emailed to me when she gave me the recipe: "This is often asked for when we are going to potlucks and I never take any home."

I tried it out at a BBQ we went to over the summer and it was a huge hit! Mr. Man was hesitant to eat room temperature asparagus but after he tried it he loved it! It makes more than one family could eat, say for dinner, though.

MARINATED ASPARAGUS

1 - 2 lbs asparagus, snapped off at base to remove tough, fibrous part of stalk. Trim and blanch asparagus spears in boiling water until bright green (about 2-3min.) Asparagus should be tender-crisp. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Drain very well, blotting spears with paper towels to remove all water.

Combine the following:
grated zest of one lemon and one orange
1/3 cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
2 Tbsp chopped parsley (Italian or otherwise)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Place thoroughly dry asparagus in gallon size zip-lock bag and pour lemon/olive oil mixture over it. If making ahead of time, close bag and lay it flat on shelf in refrigerator, turning bag occasionally to be sure all spears are evenly coated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

***NOTE: If preparing to serve immediately, let asparagus sit in marinade at room temperature at least a half hour to absorb flavors.