Asparagus has been used from very early times as a culinary vegetable, owing to its delicate flavour and diuretic properties. There is a recipe for cooking asparagus in the oldest surviving book of recipes, Apicius’s 3rd century AD De re coquinaria, Book III (from Wikipedia).
Asparagus rhizomes and roots are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda to treat urinary tract infections, as well as kidney and bladder stones.
Asparagus – layout it out on a baking pan, drizzle with a bit of sesame oil and roast for 10 minutes or so at 350.
Test for doneness. Put on a serving plate, add sesame seeds (toast them too if you want) and a dash of lime or lemon juice (fresh squeezed if you have it).
Red peppers – cut in half, take out white bits, place face down on a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes or so, until the skin starts to blister and turn dark brown/black. Don’t roast too high, 300 or so.
These were delicious the next day cold as a salad too!
Asparagus is low in calories, contains no fat or cholesterol, and is very low in sodium. It is good source of folic acid, potassium, fiber, and rutin. The amino acid asparagine gets its name from asparagus, the asparagus plant being rich in this compound.
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Recipe Photo Credit: Her View Photography