Asparagus is locally the freshest during the spring, and you can find it in all different varieties and colors like purple, white and green. This is an easy and delicious recipe that really highlights the flavors and beauty of the vegetable, and takes almost no time or thought. When you roast the asparagus, the natural sugars in the sweet, fresh asparagus helps to caramelize the stalks without letting them get soggy. A sweet, tart balsamic reduction brings out those flavors, and paired with sharp aged Parmesan, the asparagus is absolutely delicious.

(When I don’t even want to take up more refrigerator space, I just clean and trim the asparagus, and lay it out on a sheet pan. This can be set aside and left alone hours ahead of time.)

Roasted Asparagus

-4 bunches of crisp asparagus, with the bottoms trimmed
-Good quality olive oil
-2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Aged Parmesan cheese if desired

1) Preheat oven to 400.

2) Ten minutes before it is to be served, drizzle with olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, and generously sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, toss to coat.

3) When the asparagus is cooked through, and browned on the outside, roughly 8 minutes, remove from the oven. I like to arrange these on a platter, and drizzle with a little *balsamic reduction, and freshly shave or grate some good strong Parmesan over the top for a little bite.

(*Available at gourmet grocers, or easy to make at home.)