Asparagus Roasted with Blood Oranges

Asparagus roasted with blood oranges is a side dish that’s as easy and healthy and it is gorgeous.  I love the pretty combination of the fresh green with the blood oranges in this easy asparagus recipe, but you could use grapefruit, regular oranges, or lemons too.

Asparagus roasted with blood oranges reflects a fleeting moment in time…the blood oranges are on their way out just as the asparagus are coming into season and the two cross paths for one brief moment.  Healthy, simple,  glorious.

Most of us already know that oven roasting is a great easy way to cook asparagus.  But when you add a layer of citrus you get a little extra pizazz.  I drizzled on olive oil and showered it all with salt, pepper, and rosemary.  And for the ultimate finishing touch, add some BLOOD ORANGE VINEGAR to bring it all alive.

This recipe uses the same principle as my LEMON HERB FISH, where I cook the fish on top of paper thin slices of lemon.  I did a similar treatment with my VODKA AND CLEMENTINE GLAZED SALMON, and MEYER LEMON ROAST CHICKEN.  This is such a healthy way to cook because it gives lots of flavor without lots of salt and fats.  Who needs hollandaise sauce when you’ve got blood oranges?

Asparagus comes in all kinds of sizes, and although it’s commonly assumed that the skinnier the stalk, the better, I don’t agree.  My husband and I have a running argument over this.  He likes the little spindly stalks, but I think the fatter ones have better texture and flavor.

As long as they are fresh, the flavor is much more pronounced in asparagus with a little ‘heft’ to it, and if they are perfectly cooked, the texture is almost creamy.   This recipe is best for medium to thick stalks, because the thinner kind will cook so quickly there won’t be time for anything to caramelize.

Note: Recipe from Alaska from Scratch.

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5 from 1 vote

Asparagus Roasted with Blood Oranges

Ingredients

• 1 lb asparagus
• 1 blood orange
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• olive oil
• fresh rosemary

Instructions

• Set oven to 425F
• Trim the ends off the asparagus.
• Thinly slice the orange. Arrange t the slices on a baking sheet.
• Lay the asparagus over the oranges and then drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter some fresh rosemary over the asparagus.
• Roast until the asparagus is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the girth of your asparagus. If you are brave, you can do this whole thing under the broiler, but you need to watch it like a hawk. I like the slight charring that the broiler gives to the asparagus and oranges.
• Replace any charred rosemary sprigs with fresh ones before serving.

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