Asparagus with Saffron

Name: Asparagus with Saffron
Ingredients: 1 pound asparagus, woody ends snapped off; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 scallion, thinly sliced; 4 threads saffron; to taste, ground nutmeg; to taste, freshly ground white pepper; to taste, salt

This recipe is an adaptation of one I found in a medieval cookbook. It is an unusual, but tasty, way to serve asparagus.

Submitted by: L from Los Angeles, California
Yield: 4 servings

Spices

Featured in this Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus, woody ends snapped off
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 scallion, thinly sliced
4 threads saffron
to taste, ground nutmeg
to taste, freshly ground white pepper
to taste, salt

Preparation Instructions:

Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces, keeping tips separate.

Bring a small quantity of water to a boil in a saute pan. Salt the water and add the asparagus stalks in a single layer. Boil about 1 minute, then add the tips and boil 2 minutes more. Drain well and pat dry.

In a skillet, saute scallion in oil just until it begins to turn translucent. Add asparagus and saffron. Stir-fry briefly, then cover, lower heat, and cook gently for 5 minutes, shaking pan occasionally.

Season asparagus with salt, pepper, and freshly ground nutmeg, stir together, cover, and continue to cook for 5 minutes more.

Uncover and continue to cook and shake, just until asparagus begins to turn golden. Serve immediately.

Based on 2 reviews

Customer Reviews

I’ve made this many times—would love to know the medieval cookbook it came from!

Neal C

I was very surprised how well this turned out. I sustituted the scallion with a small finely diced onion. I was suprised that the saffron did not impart that much color. But very good and will add to my recipes.