It’s been a week since I’ve been home from Paris, and I have yet to turn the oven on. Maybe it’s the heat, maybe it’s the jet-lag, or maybe it’s just sheer laziness (we’ve been eating more than our quota of rotisserie chickens)
Whatever the reason, I can’t deny a certain inability to actually button most of my clothes, no matter how many Jazzercise classes I’ve been to this week (one). C’est la vie. That’s the price you must pay if you’re going to consume French cheeses, chocolate, croissants and charcuterie (not to mention wine) for two weeks straight.
So now that I’m back in the land of bikinis, I’m going to have to take matters into my own kitchen, so to speak. Bring on the vegetables!
Roasted asparagus is one of my favorite go-to side dishes that works with everything from chicken to beef to fish. It’s also one of my dad’s favorite side dishes, so I make it every time he comes down from Orange County for a weekend of grilling and football. Roasting vegetables is one of my favorite methods, even if it does heat up the kitchen. But never fear, I’ve got homemade ice cream to cool things down.
Because, you know, ice cream and bikinis are a match made in heaven.
- 2 lbs. fresh asparagus
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Snap off the touch ends of each asparagus stalk.
- Spread the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer.
- Drizzle with the olive oil.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the asparagus.
- With clean hands, combine the ingredients until evenly coated.
- Roast for 8-12 minutes, checking often, so that the asparagus stays crisp.