I have a confession to make...I’m addicted to asparagus. I know, asparagus gets a bad rep. But when you are someone with a number of food allergies, you can be quite limited in what fruits and veggies you can consume. When you find one that not only can you eat but that you LOVE? Well, you are going to use it in EVERYTHING! Welcome to the world of Asparahash!! Loosely put, the term “hash” in regards to food is basically food that is finely chopped during preparation. While most folks immediately think of corned beef hash, I’d like to change that thought process. (although I do love me some corned beef hash!) I don’t know exactly how it started, but earlier this year, asparagus began popping up a lot earlier than it usually does. It seems it not just for Springtime anymore (yippee!). So as soon as those beautiful spears of green goodness began popping up in stores, I pounced. Started getting a bunch or two a week. Not bad for being the only person in the house who eats it! The only way I used to eat it was the traditional, tossed in garlic and olive oil and either pan cooked or grilled. Absolutely NOTHING wrong with this. After all, it’s a classic dish for a reason; Simple and perfect and all it needs after that is a dash of sea salt. However, I like to play around and create new dishes using leftovers and minimal ingredients and thus the legend of Asparahash was born. It’s pretty simple really: grab a handful of asparagus, chop it up and decide what you want to go with it. I’ve done several variations of this with both just veggies or meat added in and it has become my go-to meal now about 3-4 times a week. It all starts with the asparagus. Take a handful, make sure the hard bottoms are taken off (don’t worry, the individual stalks will tell you where to break them off) and chop them up. What you add to it after that is up to you and it’s a fun to mix and match. I’ve thrown in some chopped up cherry tomatoes, cooked them down with the asparagus in just 2 tablespoons of olive oil, added some onion powder, salt and pepper and served it over rice or pasta. It’s great by itself or add in a little chopped up leftover chicken and you’ve got something quite yummy and really filling. Top with some toasted italian bread crumbs for an added texture and a little added spice. Another variation is with apples. Dice up a green apple and cook that down with the asparagus, this time using canola oil (still only about 2 tablespoons), and then again the onion powder and a little salt and pepper. I know that may sound strange, but the onion powder is pretty much the thing that ties it all together and brings out the flavors of the hash in both sweet and savory versions.. A great add in to the apple version is leftover ham. After Easter this year, we had tons of it. So I diced some up and added it to my asparahash apple concoction and it was fantastic! Another variation with the ham and apples is to add a little teriyaki sauce, cook it down a bit to thicken it up and then add the cooked rice and toss it all together in the pan until the rice is coated and all the ingredients are mixed together. (you can also substitute pineapple for the green apples--I’m allergic, so I improvised) Basically, it all depends on your imagination and there are no precise measurements. Grab handfuls of stuff, chop them up and throw them in a pan. That’s it. Asparagus is an incredibly versatile veggie. It’s pretty neutral and picks up the flavors of whatever you are cooking with it. It’s pretty cool that way and that’s why you can really play with it. I personally don’t do cream or cheese sauces but that doesn’t mean you can’t! Even though I have my favorites, every time I make them, they are a little different. Maybe this time I’ll add a different spice or throw it over a baked potato instead of a bed of white rice. I’ve done the tomato version where I’ve cooked them down so much, it’s almost a spread. So I’ll have it on a nice crusty bread like a bruschetta. Lots of possibilities and it only depends on what you’re feeling that day. It can be a side dish or main course. Totally up to you. (I did just asparagus and apples as a side dish for Easter and then liked it so much, I started having just that over rice.) One more thing, you’ll notice that I barely used any oil to cook this...that’s part of the bonus of this dish. Unless you are using meat, there really is very little fat to any of these versions and the fat that is used, is good stuff. I’m not a nutritionist by any means but I do know that canola and olive oils are great to cook with and a little goes a long way. Now it’s your turn. Get creative and discover the possibilities of Asparahash!
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