I escaped my house, my family, and North Dakota a couple weeks ago and went to Chicago. If you follow me on the Instagram you can see all my obnoxious food pictures from my trip.
Out in the world all alone is not a state I find myself in too often so I had to take full advantage. I ate out a lot……like a lot. And there were many memorable bites; Skinny Geisha cocktails at Union Sushi (which by the end of the night my friend Tess was calling Sad Geishas but let’s clarify—we were not sad). Every. Single. Vegetable. at Publican (why were those fries so good?) And I’m embarrassed to say I ate at almost every restaurant outpost at Eataly including La Pizza E La Pasta (twice), Il Pesce, and of course The Nutella Bar (Whaaaat? Why are there not Nutella bars in every mall across the country?!)
But one of the best things I ate, strangely enough, was broccoli tossed with garlicky breadcrumbs and of butter at . I’ve been fantasizing about this broccoli and not in a healthy way. I wanted to make something similar at home so I’ve been messing around with the ingredients ever since I got back.
But one of the best things I ate, strangely enough, was broccoli tossed with garlicky breadcrumbs and obviously lots of butter at The Purple Pig. I’ve been fantasizing about this broccoli and not in a healthy way. I wanted to make something similar at home so I’ve been messing around with the ingredients ever since I got back.
The only problem was that we don’t eat a lot of butter around here (with the hubby being all lacto-intolerante) so I had to come up with something else. The result? Nothing like what I ate that windy, freezing day in Chicago…..but still really good.
I decided to go with asparagus because I’m over winter and want to pretend that it is spring (despite the 2 feet of snow that fell last week). Instead of the ton of butter I decided to make a sweet and spicy dressing to drizzle over it, something similar to that addictive chile sauce they serve at Thai restaurants but, you know, more Mexican. The only element of the original dish that stayed the same was the breadcrumbs, (they were the best part) and give such a delicious, undeniable crunch that is so good on any vegetable. I’m not above having a canister of these crispy crumbs sitting on the counter on a regular basis….just ’cause.
Roasted Asparagus with Sweet Jalapeño Dressing and Garlicky Breadcrumbs
- Yield: 4 1x
Scale
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the breadcrumbs:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup fresh bread (like Levain or some other Artisan loaf), torn into small pieces
- 1 clove garlic, minced
For the asparagus:
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the top third.
- To make the dressing, combine jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, agave syrup, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow stream until completely incorporated. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- To make the breadcrumbs, heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toss in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fry the breadcrumbs until crisp and toasted, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir to combine and remove from heat.
- Wash and dry the asparagus thoroughly and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer.
- Roast in the oven until just tender, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately
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