Asparagus wtih Blood Oranges

For the last few months I have been receiving Saveur courtesy of the Foodie Blogroll and it has quickly become one of my favorite food magazines. I love everything about it from the pictures, to the writing and of course the tasty recipes. There are also so many helpful tips on food preparation. I can't believe I didn't discover this magazine earlier. In one of the recent issues, this recipe jumped out at me. The original recipe caled for navel oranges, but since I am having a love affair with blood oranges lately, I decided to use them here. The dressing was the right balance of sweet and tart with the asparagus and the orange segments added a nice dimension as well. It's really easy and fast for dinner, especially if you're not very hungry like I was last night.


Asparagus with Blood Oranges
(Adapted from Saveur, April 2009)

Makes 1-2 servings

1 blood orange
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 scallion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 stalks green asparagus

Zest the orange; set zest aside. Slice off the ends of the orange. Set an orange on end; with a small knife, slice off and discard the peel and the white pith. Holding the orange in your hand, use a knife to cut the orange segments away from their membranes. Place segments in a bowl and set aside. Over a separate bowl, squeeze the remaining orange pulp to extract any remaining juice. Whisk 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, lemon juice, oregano, and scallion into orange juice and season with salt and pepper; set dressing aside.

Cut off about 1" from the tough end of the asparagus and transfer asparagus to a large microwavable baking dish. Sprinkle asparagus with reserved orange zest and drizzle with remaining oil and 2 tablespoons water. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes, rotating the dish if necessary until asparagus is just tender. Drain off cooking liquid. Toss asparagus with reserved citrus dressing and season with salt. Top with orange segments. Serve immediately or at room temperature.