Catalan Asparagus

I think one of the first times I had homemade asparagus, it was waaaaaaay overcooked. Mushy. GREY. It turned me off of them for quite a while until I

realized that they were meant to be bright, green and a bit crispy. Turns out, roasted asparagus is one of the simplest, easiest side dishes to make. Ever.

I stuck with the regular EVOO, s&p routine for a while until I stumbled across this recipe. Anything from Spain or Greece immediately perks my interest

because I love how fresh they insist their ingredients be. The first time I made this, hubby ended up gobbling down the tomato relish mixture by itself

because it was so good. Simple ingredients, simple method, bright flavors. My favorite combination.

RECIPE (adapted from Saveur Magazine):

2.5 lbs asparagus spears, ends trimmed

9 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, separated (I just eyeball it)

3 tbsp capers, drained

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 plum tomatoes (I normally have grape tomatoes on hand, so I use those)

1/2 small red onion, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Coat the asparagus with 2 tbsp of EVOO, salt & pepper and roast it for 7-10 minutes.

The asparagus should still be bright green, and I poke the stems with a sharp knife to see if they are done. It should still be a bit firm instead of mushy.

Combine the remaining 7 tbsp of oil, capers, lemon juice, tomatoes, onion, salt & pepper in a bowl. Mix together.

Spoon the tomato relish over the roasted asparagus.