Alessio's Ridiculously Easy "Steamed" Asparagus

Asparagus is easy to cook: you stand it in a tall narrow pot with water that reaches half-way up the stalks, and boil it for 8-10 minutes, or until a fork penetrates a stalk easily.

However, there are times this isn't possible, say when you're already using all your burners, or doing something intricate that you cannot interrupt to get the asparagus going (or fish them out). Or when you're doing more asparagus than will fit in your asparagus pot.

Alessio Pesucci, of the Locanda il Gallo outside Florence, does his steamed asparagus in the oven, and a quick and easy technique it is. You'll need asparagus sufficient to feed your diners (about 2/3 pound, or 300 grams per person), with the stalks all about the same diameter so they'll cook at the same rate:

Begin by peeling the tougher lower part of the stalks, and snap off the bottoms -- you peel them because unpeeled stems won't snap.

Discard what you snap off, but save the peelings for the next time you make vegetable stock. While you are doing this, preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).

Next, line your stems up with the tips even on your chopping block, and trim them to a length of about 6 inches (15 cm). The trimmed excess parts of the stems can also go into the stock pot, or, if you chop them into thin rounds into salads (raw) or other dishes.

Put the spears rows in a baking that's large enough to hold them all in a single layer.

Add a quarter inch of water (1/2 cm) to the pan, sprinkle the spears with a little salt, cover the pan, and cook the spears for a half hour.

Serve them lightly drizzled with olive oil.