Today is the second installment of Rafe and Juliet’s Valentine’s Day dinner. (Rafe and Juliet are the hero and heroine in Every Deep Desire, book 1 in the Deadly Force Series) Rafe has served Juliet’s Muddled Strawberry Cocktails and even set the table. Since he’s not an experienced cook, the vegetable of the evening is simple. It’s also one of Juliet’s favorites: Roasted Asparagus.
Rafe: “I’ve spent most of my life in combat, and a few years in prison, so cooking this meal is a huge deal for me. Luckily, Juliet likes simple foods and it doesn’t get much simpler than roasted asparagus.
Juliet has been teasing me while I prepare the asparagus, trying to distract me in the ways only a wife could. But despite her kisses, or the fact she’s put on the Creole Waltz we danced to at our wedding, I’m determined to get this tray in the oven.
But once that’s done, I’ve got ten minutes to spare before dinner is served. And I know exactly what to do with those ten long minutes. (We’re going to dance!)
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus
- 5 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
- dash Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash asparagus well and dry them well in paper towels. Then cut off the thicker/tougher bottoms of the asparagus, about 1" -2".
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Using a rimmed aluminum baking sheet, lay out the the asparagus in a single layer. Drizzle the olive oil over all the asparagus and them sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
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Roast the asparagus for 10 minutes. The really hot oven will allow the asparagus to not get mushy and have a nice browned outside. Make sure you dry the asparagus well in the first step–you want to roast the stems, not steam them.
