Chilled Lemon-Scented Asparagus

HopeJohnJP's Note:

Bright summer flavor, easy to make, easy to eat! Prep time does not include chilling time.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 lbs fresh asparagus
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:

1. Cut woody ends from asparagus.
2. Combine water, juice, salt and red pepper in the bottom of an asparagus steamer or other vessel large enough to steam whole asparagus. Bring to a boil.
3. Place asparagus in steamer basket and place basket into pot. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and steam until crisp-tender. Time will vary depending on thickness of spears, size of cook pot and preferences of chef. Check at 5 minute intervals -- careful! Steam is hot!
4. Remove spears and refrigerate until cold. Dust with zest just before serving.

Reviews

[PookeyLumLum]

WONDERFUL! I was looking for a healthy appetizer recipe I could take to a friend's house for a cookout. We needed to bring something healthful and delicious, as my friend is trying to lose a little "fluff". These were full of fresh, wonderful flavor. I did have to make a change simply because I didn't have my steamer handy. First, 2 large lemons was not quite 1/2 cup for me. I added one more lemon to make it 3. This gave me just slightly more than 1/2 cup. It was perfect. Secondly, since my steamer was MIA, I had to drop these into the water, lemon juice, salt and pepper mixture. I boiled them for about 2 minutes (these were very thick stalks). They were still crisp in the center and full of delicious, fat-free flavor. This is now one of my favorite summer asparagus recipes. You MUST try it! Thank you so much for the great recipe!