Cast Iron
Catalan Aspargus with Chorizo
- Serves 4
Author Notes
Inspired by a recent trip to Barcelona, this was the asparagus at our Easter lunch last Sunday. It treats diced chorizo like lardons. Don't you always come back from a great trip and want the vacation to continue by working the flavors into regular life back at home? - EBeier —EBeier
Test Kitchen Notes
This is a simple recipe with lots of flavor. I loved the combination of perfectly cooked asparagus with the crispy bits of spicy chorizo, and the lemon juice (I used Meyer lemon) really rounds it out. There was plenty of fat in the pan from roasting the chorizo so I found no need to add additional olive oil; my chorizo was quite salty so I didn't add any salt either. I topped this with a poached egg and it made a great lunch. - WinnieAb —The Editors
What You'll Need
Ingredients
-
1 bunch
fresh green aspargus, absolute bottoms trimmed
-
1
link chorizo
-
a squeeze of
lemon juice
-
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
-
1 splash
best-quality olive oil, optional
Directions
- Steam asparagus until still crisp but just beginning to get tender--about 3 or 4 minutes in a steamer set over simmering water. Set aside.
- In the meantime, prick the chorizo link with a fork and roast in a cast-iron skillet in a preheated 375 degree oven for about twenty minutes or until cooked through and browned on the outside. Drain the excess fat that will have oozed out of the chorizo link and cut the link into dice.
- Toss the chorizo dice back into the still-hot skillet and return to the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the dice are a bit crispy. Remove the dice from the pan and set aside.
- Toss the steamed asparagus in the still-hot skillet, which should be nicely glazed with fat. Place in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the asparagus is cooked through, hot, and possibly beginning to brown.
- Finish the dish by tossing the asparagus and chorizo dice together and flicking the lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper over it all. If the asparagus doesn't seem moist enough to you, toss again with the optional olive oil before serving.
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