Absurdly Addictive Asparagus

Serves 4

Recipe from Food52.com

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This dish was beautiful to behold and tasty too, perfect for a special dinner party.  To be honest, I cheated a little when making this the first time.  I had cooked bacon in the freezer with bacon grease in a bowl in the fridge.  So, instead of following the recipe exactly, I just thawed a few slices of bacon, reheated it in the microwave and crumbled it over the top at the end.  I used 1 Tablespoon of the grease along with the butter listed in the ingredients when sautéing the asparagus.  

4 ounces bacon or pancetta, cut into 3/8 inch to ¼ inch dice

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1 pound asparagus, woody ends trimmed and sliced into 2 inch pieces on the bias

1 ¼ cup leek, thinly sliced crosswise (white and pale green parts only)

2 cloves garlic, minced

Zest of one lemon

1 teaspoon fresh orange zest

2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts or almonds or pecans

1-2 Tablespoon Italian (flat leaf) parsley, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large non-stick pan, sauté bacon, 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.