Roasted Asparagus with Yogurt Dressing

If you just skim the last few entries on this blog, you may very well assume that we eat nothing but dessert around here.  Truth is, my favorite summer meals involve freshly baked breads, creamy cheeses, and whatever seasonal vegetable the garden has to offer.  

It's been summer out here in the East Bay for quite some time (and then winter again quite suddenly, but what can you do?), so asparagus seems a little passe.  It comes in our CSA box every week in April and May, and I scoop up even more bundles of the thin, green stalks everywhere I see them.  Asparagus is a celebration of spring, and by June, it doesn't quite belong on our table anymore.  We wait patiently for tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and corn.  We watch the sunset past eight and wake up to a sun-filled room at six, we go to the beach, we break out the light ales and white wines.  We don't give asparagus a second thought.

But we should.  Because if we dress it up for summer, if we pour on generous helpings of smoking dressing and hard boiled eggs, if we roast it until caramelized and crispy, asparagus just might surprise us.  It may provide the perfect early summer meal, along side some bread and a dish of fresh cheese.  We need to fill our dinners with something as we wait for the hot sun to ripen summer fruits and vegetables, and asparagus - this creamy, sweet, crispy, spicy, dressed up asparagus - fits the bill.

Roasted Asparagus with Yogurt Dressing
Serves three

For the dressing:

1 c yogurt
2 T lemon juice
1 t smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch salt

For the asparagus:

2 T olive oil
1 1/2 lbs asparagus, trimmed
salt and pepper

To serve:

3 eggs
squeeze lemon juice
drizzle olive oil

Whisk all dressing ingredients together.  Cover, and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

In the meantime, hard boil your eggs.  I like to cover them with water in a pot, heat the pot over high heat, and bring to a boil.  Then turn down the heat to simmer the water for 10 minutes.  Immediately drain and shock eggs with cold water.  Let coo, before peeling and slicing.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add asparagus, and cover.  Cook asparagus for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your spears.  Remove lid, increase heat to high, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.

To serve, pour dressing over asparagus, and top with sliced eggs.  Squeeze some lemon juice and drizzle some olive oil over the whole dish.