Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Fried Asparagus

















My Venture into Fried Asparagus

Just a short post this week. My inspiration for this recipe comes from the fried green beans (and fried pickles) from a local bar called Larry Bud's. I'm not a huge pickle fan but their fried green beans are really addictive. The reason I made this recipe is simple: I had asparagus I needed to get used up and I wanted to throw out the oil from the Southwestern Eggrolls I made a while back. I rarely deep fry and I know you can strain the oil and save it for later use. However, because it could be MONTHS before I fried something else, there's no way I am going to use oil that I used once before that I've been storing for the last 1 or 2 years. That's just totally gross. The spears of asparagus are coated in bread crumbs, which really dirties the oil when they're fried. So, I fried a batch and then recycled the oil.

The real reason my post is so short this week is because I have a cold. I keep coughing and coughing and I just don't feel like doing squat. When I was growing up and my mother had a cold, she still cooked and cleaned, did laundry, got us ready for school, and more. When my father had a cold, he whined a lot and my mother had to take care of him like he was on his deathbed. You know, I'm beginning to speculate that men are just babies when they get sick. Hmmmm. Surely, there is another plausible explanation.

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Fried Asparagus
(Printable Version)

1 lb asparagus (thin stalks)
1 1/2 c dry seasoned breadcrumbs
1 c freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
4 eggs, beaten
Oil for frying

Wash and dry the asparagus. Snap or cut the fibrous root ends off and discard. Thin stalks work best for this recipe since thicker stalks are too fibrous.

In a shallow dish, combine the seasoned breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and seasoned salt and mix well to combine. Set aside. In another shallow dish, beat the eggs and set aside. Place a rack in a sheet pan and set aside. Start preheating the oven to 200F.

Dip a few stalk of the asparagus on the eggs and allow some of the egg to drip off. Coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Re-dip the asparagus in the egg and the breadcrumbs to add a thicker layer of coating. Place the breaded asparagus on a sheet pan (not the sheet pan that has the rack in it). Repeat this process with the remaining stalks of asparagus.

If you have a fryer that is big enough to hold the entire length of the asparagus, you may deep fry the asparagus a few stalks at a time. Otherwise, you may shallow fry the asparagus in 1/2" of oil (preferably peanut oil). If using a fryer, heat the oil to 350F. If shallow frying, heat about 1" of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until it is shimmering. When the oil is hot, fry the asparagus until golden brown, which should only take a minute or so. They cook fast! Transfer to the sheet pan equipped with a rack and place the pan in the oven to keep warm will you fry the remaining stalks of asparagus. Serve with your preferred dipping sauce (I prefer ranch dip).

13 comments:

  1. Hello Blog Buddies!
    Due to a known problem with the blogging software I use on this website, you may get an error when you attempt to post a comment. If you try to leave a comment and get an error, simply click the "Post Comment" button again. It should work after clicking the "Post Comment" button one or two additional times.

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  2. Oh my god, those looke so good. I had fried artichokes at a bar in Las Vegas and they were excellent. Why must things taste so good fried?

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  3. Hey, Funny men are not supposed to get sick! Now shape up, write some hilarious stories and great recipes and stop feeling sorry for yourself. Our idols cannot have feet of clay or runny noses! You might phone your Mom for some Chicken soup. Seriously hope you feel better soon.

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  4. no, estas correcto, papito... los hombres son unos babys cuando se enferman! pero espero q tu te mejores pronto =) q te quiero burda! xo - k ps q voy a pedir q leo me prepare estas cositas fritas q se ven riquisimaaaaaas!

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  5. You are so right on for the "men are babies when sick", but Vince . . . ya lost me on frying asparagus! How could you?! Sacrilege!

    I still luv ya, of course! GET BETTER SOON!

    Trish-in-MO
    Tasty Kitchen Member
    Homecook Enthusiast

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hate to be the one to break this to you, blog buddy, but men are babies when they are sick.

    Can't wait to try fried asparagus. Where do you come up with these great ideas?

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  7. Boy, I'm torn on this one Vince! I sort of regard asparagus as natures finest vegetable and to fry it seems sacrilegious! But I do like friend green beens, so I'll maybe give it a try. Incidentally, I like the green beens better at Louies! They just taste fresher to me. Go figure, since they are frying them anyway, LOL!!!

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  8. Yum! This looks so good.

    I used to eat Houlihan's fried asparagus all the time - but it was only seasonal. I've been to a few Houlihan's recently, all of which don't carry the fried asparagus anymore. But they used to serve it with a lemon-horseradish sauce that was to DIE for.

    I'm so excited to make this.

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  9. Hope you Get Well Soon and are back to your old self again.

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  10. This sounds AMAZING. Next time asparagus goes on some crazy cheap sale I'm making this.

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  11. Larry Bud's is AMAZING, it's my favorite bar in Wichita. I love the fried pickles, and fried asparagus is an interesting take.

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  12. Does the asparagus cook through just frying it or wouldn't you have to cook it a bit before frying? I've never cooked asparagus so I don't know.

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  13. Foodie Journal -- Yes, the asparagus cooks through by just frying it. No need to blanch it first. Asparagus cooks very quickly in comparison to some other vegetables.

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