(click photo for a slideshow of 10 step-by-step photos that led up to the money-shot of the Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Soy Browned  Butter)

My inbox is filled with emails from supporters of the “eating local” movement, urging people to consume food that is grown and produced in their local area. The movement is nothing new, for the past few years I’ve been reading about it in national newspapers, popular food magazines and countless websites. Many of my friends are participating in the challenge of consuming only locally grown foods for the entire month of October. I myself am a big fan of eating local to support our local economy, for a better quality of produce and for taking care of our environment. How many planes, trains and automobiles did that cantaloupe have to hitch a ride on before arriving in my breakfast bowl?

We regularly visit the farmer’s market, the local produce stand and even grow our own vegetables and herbs in the backyard (Don’t be fooled to think that I have a green thumb. I don’t. Growing your own food is easier than you think, but that’s for another column.)

But, sigh. Some days I just don’t have the energy, budget, nor the willpower to be a responsible member of this planet that we live on. Especially when it’s 5:15pm, my kids are hungry, it’s two days until payday and I’m rushing to the supermarket. Oh the drama that plays out in the backseat of the minivan, “MOOOOOMM…we’re staaarrrrvvvvinngg…we need cooooookies and cheese puffs for dinner….MAAMMMMAAAA…puleeeeeeze??”

Quick. Asparagus is on sale. They only take 15 minutes to cook. Will make Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Soy Browned Butter. Kids will eat ‘em if I smother enough butter on ‘em. But they are from Peru. The little sticker says so. Ahh, crap, who cares. The package goes in the cart and it’s what’s for dinner with a rotisserie chicken.

Well at least the supermarket was kind enough to tell me where my food is coming from. Okay, so I didn’t choose the mushrooms from Myakka, a farming area 20 minutes from me. But to ease my guilt, I imagined feeding a poor little starving child of an asparagus farmer in Peru. The child looks up at me with those cute, gigantic eyes. The widowed farmer smiles at me gratefully and whispers, “Thank you, Jaden for buying my asparagus.” I get a warm, cozy flutter in my heart.

Quickly, I stuff my tiara, cape and halo back into my handbag. Angelina Jolie is like totally my BFF.

YEAH, DO YOU SEE WHERE MY KIDS GET THE DRAMA THING FROM????

I have a feeling I’m going to get some complaint emails from environmentalists, pro eating local people and the mushroom farmer from Myakka that neglected to feed. I welcome and embrace all feedback. But instead of sending me an email, I would like to invite you over to my home, specifically at 5:15pm to babysit my tots while I run out to source my locally grown ingredients. You can lecture me about being a responsible human being all you want.

Could you also run a load of laundry while I cook dinner too? Read the full story

I’ll admit, I have been caught up in the whole slow-cooking trend lately. Most of my slow-cooking has yielded succulent and tender results, like Tropical Island Salmon and Baby Back Ribs with Asian Orange Ginger Glaze, and yes, I’ve also had a couple of disasters. One night, I decided that we’d have an entire meal cooked sllllooowwwww. What a stupid idea. I’m not the most patient sort - and when I get bored (i.e. waiting in the kitchen with absolutely nothing to do except wait for the food to cook sllloooowwwwly….I end up doing my nails to pass time and then totally forget about the food in the oven.) The slow cooked filet mignon was so horrible that my husband had to officially ban me from cooking steaks for the remainder of the decade.

Somehow, I managed to transform expensive filet mignon steaks into very expensive hockey pucks.

Not even a jackhammer could get through those babies. But please, please don’t let my self-diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder stop you from trying this) Thank goodness that the slow-cooked asparagus came out delicious…allow me to take a little moment of your precious time an introduce you to slllooooowww butter braised asparagus. Once you try this, you’ll wish for another full season of asparagus to come around. Gently cooking asparagus will give you melt-in-your-mouth stalks, yet still retaining the bright green color and all of its pure flavor. Top it with shaved parmesan and sea salt to create a luxurious dish.

Slow Butter Braised Asparagus

A bunch of asparagus, hard part of stalks cut off
teaspoon of minced shallots and/or garlic
2-4 tablespoons of butter (depends on how much asparagus you have)
sea salt
squeeze of lemon
shaved parmesan

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add butter. When butter hot, add shallots/garlic, turn heat to low and fry until fragrant. 2. Add asparagus, cover with a tight-fitting lid (important -if lid isn’t tight, the steam escapes, you can try using a thin dishtowel under lid and fold ends up over the top of the lid to create a nice seal). Cook on low for 10-12 minutes, depending on how soft you like your asparagus. If your asparagus can’t all fit in one layer in your pan, stir a couple of times during the cooking process. After 8 minutes, take a peek. I usually can tell by cutting part of the stalk with a butter knife and adjust my cooking time.

If it looks like the pan needs more butter, feel free to add another tablespoon in, or just throw in a tablespoon of water. 3. When cooked to your liking, remove asparagus, pour the butter/shallot/garlic mixture over, sprinkle with sea salt, a squeeze of lemon and top with shaved parmesan.