Beer Battered Asparagus
For my first post, I thought I'd share a dandy recipe which I found on Pinterest. I love beer battered anything and I am a huge fan of asparagus. So this combination seemed like a match made in culinary heaven! It is not the most healthy recipe in the world but it is better than french fries. I have made it on several occasions and I have always gotten compliments on the way tastes.
The first time I made this recipe was for a wine night. My best friend, Callie always comes over to watch the Bachelor and drink wine. This specific night, I decided to try my hand at cooking. I was running late and Callie was already on her way over to my townhouse, so I figured I could finish my make-up while the oil heated in the skillet. BAD IDEA. NEVER, I repeat, NEVER leave oil unattended on the stove. The oil caught on fire and the entire townhouse ALMOST did also. I ran next-door to my neighbor's house and asked to borrow a fire extinguisher, but they didn't have one either. My neighbor came over and put a cookie sheet over the open flame, that I had just been staring at in horror. (Which was a very easy and practical fix, deny fire oxygen. Apparently I didn't learn anything in High School Chemistry). I was so spooked by the giant fire that I wasn't thinking very logically... Anyway, the fire alarm went off for a solid 15 minutes... We had to open every window in the house. Even the cob webs near the ceiling were black from all the smoke. Sorry, roommates. It was a scary moment and I am so glad that my neighbor was there to help.
I still ended up making the recipe after the smoke cleared because I had prepared all the ingredients and dip already. It turned out delicious and would be great for a tailgate or as an horderve!
picture and recipe from Pinterest. I did take a picture of mine but I guess I deleted it. (Dumb, iPhone storage problems)
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce
½ cup mayonnaise
Juice of ½ a lemon (watch out for seeds)
½ teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
Pinch salt
You can substitute the herbs for what you prefer. Also, I used dry herbs and you can use fresh.
Combine all ingredients, chill until ready to serve
Beer Battered Asparagus
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 lemon zested (use microplaner)
1 cup beer
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed (I used green beans as well because my best friend doesn't like asparagus, blasphemy, I know!)
Directions
This recipe is a lot easier if you have a deep fryer but you can do it in a deep skillet with an inch or two of oil. Make sure to heat the oil to 375 degrees. (Since I don’t have a thermometer, I turned the stove on high and waited about 5-7 minutes. You will see the oil ripple) DO NOT LEAVE THE OIL ALONE!
Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper and lemon zest, until thoroughly combined. Then whisk in the beer (I have used a bottle of Bud Light, Micholob Ultra, and Blue Moon... all have tasted the same) Dip asparagus into the batter. Make sure to get rid of the excess batter. Fry until golden brown. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels and put in the oven at 200 degrees to keep warm.
Serve as soon as possible so that the asparagus don't loose their crunch. (If you make the asparagus then I HIGHLY recommend making the dipping sauce as well. It is divine!)
Ciao for Now,
Jaclyn
