Absurdly Addictive Asparagus

Name: Absurdly Addictive Asparagus
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 ounce pancetta, cut into 3/8 inch to 1/4 inch dice; 1 tablespoon butter; 1 pound asparagus, woody ends trimmed and sliced into 2 inch pieces on the bias; 1 1/4 cup leek, thinly sliced crosswise (white and pale green parts only); 2 cloves garlic, minced; Zest of one lemon; 1 teaspoon orange zest; 2 tablespoon toasted pine nuts; 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped (more to taste); Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

I guess there's a reason Vosges Haut-chocolat Bacon and Chocolate bars are growing in popularity...it just seems that when you add bacon to almost anything, the salty smokiness heightens the other ingredients. Bacon may rule, but its Italian cousin, Pancetta, is also a contender for the crown. Take a garden fresh ingredient like asparagus and pair it with pancetta and you instantly get Snap, Crackle, Crisp all in one bite. There's something about the bite-size pieces of tender crisp asparagus, buttery leeks, crackly pancetta, and delicately crunchy pinenuts that make it somehow hard for me to stop eating this easy to prepare dish. I tried adding Parmigiano Reggiano at the end, but it overpowered the citrus. After testing the delectable sugar cookie finalist recipes with MonkeyMom tonight, I have to wonder if the number 52 will be even more symbolic when it represents the number of pounds we've gained by the end of the year. Apparently, Asparagus isn't the only thing I'm addicted to— Food52 is rapidly becoming a habit, too. (Sorry for the lack of a photo— the camera is out of commission this week...) Helpful tools for this recipe: Five Two Essential Kitchen Knives Dreamfarm Ortwo Hand-Held Pepper Grinder Five Two Essential Sauté Pan

Updated at: Wed, 10 Sep 2025 02:51:26 GMT