Make Ahead
by: kaykay
April9,2010
4.5
62 Ratings
- Serves 4
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Author Notes
I guess there's a reason Vosges Haut-chocolat Bacon and Chocolate bars are growing in popularity...it just seems that when you add bacon to almost anything, the salty smokiness heightens the other ingredients. Bacon may rule, but its Italian cousin, Pancetta, is also a contender for the crown. Take a garden fresh ingredient like asparagus and pair it with pancetta and you instantly get Snap, Crackle, Crisp all in one bite. There's something about the bite-size pieces of tender crisp asparagus, buttery leeks, crackly pancetta, and delicately crunchy pinenuts that make it somehow hard for me to stop eating this easy to prepare dish. I tried adding Parmigiano Reggiano at the end, but it overpowered the citrus. After testing the delectable sugar cookie finalist recipes with MonkeyMom tonight, I have to wonder if the number 52 will be even more symbolic when it represents the number of pounds we've gained by the end of the year. Apparently, Asparagus isn't the only thing I'm addicted to— Food52 is rapidly becoming a habit, too. (Sorry for the lack of a photo— the camera is out of commission this week...)
Helpful tools for this recipe:
- Five Two Essential Kitchen Knives
- Dreamfarm Ortwo Hand-Held Pepper Grinder
- Five Two Essential Sauté Pan
—kaykay
Test Kitchen Notes
"The title pretty much says it all. With her recipe, kaykay takes an already promising set of ingredients and artfully combines them in such a way that the resulting dish exceeds the sum of its parts. 2-inch lengths of asparagus, crisp-tender to the bite, take center stage in a savory tangle of leeks, pancetta, garlic, orange zest, parsley and pine nuts. The rendered fat from the pancetta, along with a knob of butter, is just enough to keep the vegetables from being dry without smothering the fresh flavors. The recipe is supposed to serve 4, but we could easily imagine polishing off an entire pan by ourselves." –A&M
"Absurdly Addictive Asparagus—Hyperbolic? Perhaps. Too good to be true? Maybe not. As easy to make as it is to scarf down? Most definitely. Take it from community member Dylan Mierzwinski, who had this to say about our site’s most popular asparagus recipe:
'This was so wonderful (all ninety times I’ve made it). I don’t change a thing, this is my go-to ‘impress others’ dish. And let’s be real...my ‘impress myself’ dish.'
Originally uploaded to Food52 by community member kaykay in 2010, this recipe has racked up an impressive amount of attention, with upwards of 12,000 favorites and 300 comments. In honor of this success, we’ve memorialized it in video form, just in time for spring—a.k.a. asparagus season. The flavors are few but purposeful. Sharp citrus and buttery pine nuts meld with pancetta’s welcome heft; the asparagus pop out of the pan crunchy and vegetal, dappled in an exciting new sauce.
In fact, this recipe has been popular on our site for so long that this isn’t even the first time we made this asparagus on camera. Eight years back, when Food52 was still a fledgling young enterprise, Amanda and Merrill recorded this very charming proto–recipe video for Absurdly Addictive Asparagus in their Brooklyn kitchen. Camera quality has definitely come a long way since then, but the simplicity and tastiness of the recipe are timeless." –Valerio Farris
—The Editors
- Test Kitchen-Approved
- Your Best Asparagus Recipe Contest Winner
What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Absurdly AddictiveAsparagus
Ingredients
- 4 ouncespancetta, cut into 3/8 inch to 1/4 inch dice
- 1 tablespoonbutter
- 1 poundasparagus, woody ends trimmed and sliced into 2 inch pieces on the bias
- 1 1/4 cupsleek, thinly sliced crosswise (white and pale green parts only)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 teaspoonorange zest
- 2 tablespoonstoasted pine nuts
- 1 tablespoonItalian parsley, chopped (more to taste)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
- In a large non-stick pan, sauté pancetta, stirring frequently, over medium heat, until crisp and lightly golden.
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter to pan. Add asparagus pieces and leek and sauté until asparagus is tender crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add garlic, lemon and orange zest, toasted pine nuts and parsley and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and salt and serve immediately.
Tags:
- American
- Leek
- Vegetable
- Asparagus
- Parsley
- Pine Nut
- Make Ahead
- Serves a Crowd
- Spring
- Paleo
- Gluten-Free
- Side
Contest Entries
- Your Best Asparagus Recipe
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Lisa McHugh Henkel
Recipe by: kaykay
I love cooking because you don't have to follow rules. I have dessert after breakfast, lunch, and dinner.I'd choose cioppino over fettucine alfredo any day.I love that my 6 and 9 year old daughters are epicurean adventurers and will plow through a huge bowl of mussels, sweat their way through Indian curry, or savor raw sushi. I can't pick my favorite meal until the end. Then, I will reflect back and choose one that truly stood out after after a lifetime of culinary indulgence.
Popular on Food52
332 Reviews
Ann22 June 20, 2023
Seriously delicious, super fast and easy and so bright and flavorful. Don’t skip the the lemon and orange zest - adds so much brightness. A new favorite. Husband asked that I make this again soon.
hart0926 November 20, 2022
Was a bit disappointed…a lot of prep with expensive ingredients for a meh result. Next time I’ll just roast the asparagus and toss with a little bacon or pancetta afterward.
Melissa C. October 11, 2022
I’ve been making this for years and it’s a home run every single time. Easily my favorite vegetable side. Perfect.
NancyJ May 12, 2022
Delicious AND gorgeous! Did not have leeks but I did have shallots. Soaked in cold water, patted dry and sautéed before adding asparagus. Outstanding! This serve 3 asparagus lovers or 4 normal people. As there are 2 of us, used the leftovers the next evening in risotto - just cut those spears into 1” pieces and add at the end. I left out the pinenuts - although picking them out was a little messy, it was worth it.
KC May 8, 2022
At the moment in central NC, we are lucky to have good harvests of asparagus and leeks from the garden, so this was a great recipe to use. The flavor combination was wonderful. I made this to pair with hot-smoked salmon from the grill and brown rice and quinoa pilaf, and it was the perfect Mother's Day dinner. Everyone raved about the asparagus dish. It didn't hurt that we also had fresh garden ripe strawberries to finish it all off!
bethwatson April 24, 2022
What a unique and delicious recipe! I prepared it as written, then added some gnocchi to make it an entree, and it was a challenge not to eat the entire pan! It was buttery and flavorful; a perfect marriage of crunchy and smoky with sweetness from the leeks and a punch of citrus from the lemon and orange zests. Superb!
philofood April 22, 2022
This stuff is the whole reason to anticipate asparagus season like it's a second Christmas. I don't even LIKE asparagus, and I love this stuff like crazy. Have made it for friends and family and get raves every time.
liz_scherer March 20, 2022
Delicious. I would not change one thing!
HulaGirl1570 June 21, 2021
Quick and easy. I didn't have pancetta and used bacon. It was too greasy. Next time I'll cook the bacon on it's own and crumble in. The lemon and orange zests made the taste pop.
Mila M. March 27, 2021
This is so great and simple! Will definitely make it again for guests.
Heather P. October 7, 2020
Is this adaptable to make a salad?
Elizabeth D. October 7, 2020
Of course! Anything can be adapted to make a salad. This would be delicious over bitter greens like arugula, add a little quinoa and toasted pine nuts. It'd be delicious. Keep the dressing simple, good quality extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and a squirt of lemon juice.
Your imagination is your guide.
Lisa M. September 21, 2020
An absolute family favorite! This is a recipe that you can pull out for special guests and it will be the talk of the table. I’ve made it at least four times in the last two weeks and there’s never a stalk left.
Marielle April 22, 2020
Wow! This is definitely a new quick and easy dinner staple my house! Thank you!
slickrock April 21, 2020
First review I have submitted online. Had to say how extraordinarily good this recipe is! Only change was porkchetta for pancetta. This awesome dish was so great we ate immediately, then made 3 more times this week. Combined left over roasted sweet potatoes with asparagus in skillet, then added eggs cooked until yolks were custard like. Wow! New breakfast favorite! Thanks for this most incredibly flavorful dish!
margaret S. April 21, 2020
Today I made this with what I had, and it was delicious. I used green beans, garlic, scallions, lemon rind and roasted walnuts. My husband doesn't do porky meats so we didn't include that.
OldGrayMare April 19, 2020
THE best...we have been known to stand at stove and demolish the pan right then and there! (Um...more than once)
Rebekah F. February 19, 2020
I have made this several times now. Mostly with asparagus, but have used green beans, also. The last time (last night) I made it, I halved it and that was my dinner..just this. I have, on occasion, just squeezed some lemon juice over when I was too lazy to zest. I have made it with and without orange zest...either way, it is delicious! I also remove the pancetta when sauteing the veggies and adding it back at the end, so that it is fairly crispy. One of these days, I will put it over some pasta, for a more robust dinner. But last night, just this was enough. Sigh...happy girl :-)
Robyn P. November 18, 2019
I made this for a Friendsgiving and substituted green beans since I couldn’t find good asparagus (the spears at Whole Foods were gray and sad-looking). It was fantastic! The only other change I made was substituting Sweet Earth “bacon” for the real stuff since I don’t eat meat. Would also consider making with marcona almonds instead of pine nuts. This has earned a permanent spot on my T-Day menu!
Cheryl November 18, 2019
What a great idea to sub green beans! When I made it, I omitted pancetta (vegan) and it was still scrumptious.
judy October 23, 2019
All dressed up with so many ingredients. NO wonder it is addictive. So many friends are brought to the party. give me a pound of Asparagus and some lemon butter, and that is enough for me--maybe a sprinkle of salt. Steamed quickly in the micro and I am a happy camper. Or roasted I the oven works too.
Elizabeth D. September 9, 2019
Delicious recipe, given the ham was salty and greasy, I didn't add butter or salt. In fact, for the amount of panchetta, I doubled the asparagus and found it delicious. It's a delightful lunch over gluten-free pasta.
One hint is the asparagus cooks quickly, have all your ingredients ready before starting. I slightly over cooked the asparagus getting the other ingredients ready. In all - it's a delicious recipe!
I brought if over to a friend's house for Thanksgiving and was asked to bring it back subsequent holidays. It's a hit where ever I bring it!
