Let’s be realistic here: vegetables are best when deep fried.
We all know it, although after eating we swear to devote all our love to the treadmill. Well, we devote that love until the next delectable deep fried option comes along.
Over the weekend, I went to Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner. As an appetizer, I ordered parmesan-crusted asparagus. After enjoying them so much, it was suggested to me that I could find a recipe and try to make them myself.
“CopyKat Recipes,” a food blog, had a recipe for parmesan-crusted asparagus. After trying it, I’ll never have to go to a restaurant to eat them again.
I have used similar flour and buttermilk batters to fry zucchini and cauliflower. So if asparagus is not your thing, I would encourage you to try this exact batter but substitute it for a more common vegetable such as fresh green beans.
The key to making this recipe perfect is using fresh vegetables. Fresh vegetables offer much more nutrition — even though that is not the point of this recipe — and just taste better. They contain a fuller flavor.
The light, flaky batter combined with the tender, soft-yet-crisp bite of the asparagus makes this a great appetizer to pair with a rich meal or a simple one.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup fresh shredded or grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt (can substitute for regular salt)
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk
- vegetable oil for frying
- extra parmesan cheese for topping
- ranch for dipping
Here’s what you’ll do:
1. Cut the bottoms off the asparagus. Cutting about 1 inch off the asparagus is standard.
2. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, seasoned salt, and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.
3. Place the buttermilk in another shallow bowl.
4. Dip the trimmed asparagus in the flour mixture, then dip in the buttermilk. Transfer the asparagus back to the flour mixture and dip. Allow the battered asparagus to rest on a plate.
5. Heat a frying pan fill with vegetable oil. There should be enough oil in the pan to cover the asparagus.
6. Prepare a plate lined with paper towel.
7. Once the oil is slightly popping, place the battered asparagus in the pan. Allow the asparagus to fry until they are golden brown.
8. Transfer the golden brown asparagus to the pre-prepared plate. Allow them to cool. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and fresh parmesan cheese. Serve with ranch for dipping.
allmwagn@indiana.edu
