Preparation time: 10 mins + 5 mins cooking time
Ingredients
- 4 bunches asparagus, with woody ends trimmed
- Olive oil spray
- 1/2 cup dry-roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
Dressing
- 2 tbsp pomegranate juice (I used Pom Wonderful)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Dressing
Whisk pomegranate juice and oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until asparagus is ready.
The main event
- Preheat a griddle pan or frying pan on medium.
- Spray the pan with oil and add asparagus in manageable quantities.
- Cook until the asparagus is bright green and "al dente" (ie - tender but still with a little crispiness to it)
- Set aside to cool slightly.
- Place on a serving platter, drizzle with dressing and springle with hazelnuts and mint.
Notes
- This recipe can also be prepared by cooking the asparagus over a barbeque grill on medium. To do this, thread as many asparagus spears as will comfortably fit along two soaked bamboo skewers (one at the top and one at the bottom of each spear). Spray each side of the asparagus before placing on the barbeque.
- This recipe was adapted from one found in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, 10 January 2012.
- Pomegranate juice has been shown to significantly increase the time taken for PSA levels (which, when elevated or rising may indicate the presence of prostate cancer or other prostate disorders) in post-surgery/radiotherapy prostate cancer patients to double, indicating that it may help to slow the progress of this disease.