Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Roasted Asparagus

'St. Patrick's Day' History

"St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, the saint's religious feast day and the anniversary of his death...," reads an article published by History.com. The article continues to explain, "The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast..." Read more...

In modern day society, many of the foodists continue to partake in cooking the traditional dishes such as cabbage, corned beef, and potatoes.  However, this day in age, cooks around the globe are presenting their dishes in more creative and profound ways. Us, we like to stick to the more traditional recipes, and bring out the flavors we already know and love.

Asparagus- People tend to have a love-hate relationship with asparagus. Either they love it or hate it. Me, it's both. If it isn't prepared to my liking, I just can't eat it. Well, here is my new, and thus far, favorite way to eat it!

Roasted Asparagus
(Sprinkled with Mr. Pete's Cajun Seasoning, Wrapped with Bacon, and Topped with Cheese)


Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus
1 pack of bacon
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 drizzle of olive oil

Directions:

Once your asparagus stems are rinsed, bend the bottoms individually until they each snap. This allows you to discard the tough portions of the stems from the bottoms. The flavorful upper stems are shown in bowl above. Drizzle the asparagus tops with cooking oil and give them a dash of salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat stems entirely with oil. Set aside.


Wrap 1 slice of bacon around several stalks of asparagus (4 or 5). Sprinkle 1 tsp of Mr. Pete's Cajun Seasoning over the top, and place in a coated baking dish with non-stick spray. Place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes uncovered.


After 30 minutes of baking, remove dish from oven, turn bacon-wrapped asparagus over and season with remaining Mr. Pete's Cajun Seasoning. Return to the oven for another 25 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from oven and sprinkle cheese over the entire dish, allow to sit for a few minutes or until cheese begins to melt.

Serve on the side of your favorite dish with a spritz of lemon juice on top.


And now you have it! My favorite way to enjoy these tender stalks of delicious bacon-wrapped stalks! So, do you love it or hate it?