1 lb asparagus, fresh spears
3 tbsp pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil, dried whole
1/2 tsp oregano, dried whole
1 pepper, freshly ground
Directions
Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Remove scales from stalks with
knife or vegetable peeler, if desired. Place spears in a steaming
rack over boiling water; cover and steam 4-5 minutes or until spears
are crisp-tender. Transfer to a serving platter. Sautee pine nuts in
a small skillet over medium heat 2-3 minutes, until browned. Set
aside. Combine olive oil and remaining ingredients in a medium
saucepan; stir with a wire whisk to blend. Cook over medium heat 2-3
minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Pour over
asparagus. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Let stand to room temperature
before serving.
Servings: 4 servings
Asparagus With Toasted Pine Nuts & Lemon Vina Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bread; Breads; Breakfast; Fruit; Nut
The History of Recipes
It is quite possible to prove the history of transcribed cooking instructions way back into the far past, in truth as far as the Egyptians, and possibly even further than that. In practice though, these, early cookbooks were just primitive pictorial instructions for preparing meals.
Interestingly, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to food historians is a collection of ancient tablets in Sumerian which show the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel `blissful`. As we move into The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a collection of documents which described recipes prepared by the Romans. In his publication, he tells us how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into starters, main meal and dessert, a very modern way of dining. Aspicius informs us how the cooks of his times were skilled in the use of a good variety of spices, including a few that will be familiar to modern cooks for example basil, rue and asafoetida. Moving on, we have two interesting cookery books from the 14th Century - a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another titled `Curye on Inglish`. Despite their titles, they have no connection with the curry that we all know today, but rather accounts of the types of meals enjoyed by the rich and powerful of the time. Later, in the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new foods, spices and herbs from Arab cooking, such as coriander, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new tastes led to an explosion in manuscripts on food, the majority of which are now in private cookery archives. During the next few hundred years, the upper-class families of Europe tried to lay on the best banquets, and as a consequence, cooks and their recipes could command a high salary. However, it was during the 19th century that formal cookery and cookery books became really popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to collecting, testing, and publishing recipes common in their social group. By the time we get to the twentieth century, cooking books are increasing in popularity due to more people being able to read, people having more free time and having more money to spend. |
We hope you enjoy this Asparagus With Toasted Pine Nuts & Lemon Vina recipe.
