Chef Tip: How To Blanch Asparagus

Blanching is usually 30 seconds to 3 minutes in already boiling water, depending upon your taste and the thickness of the vegetable. Here is a quick explanation using asparagus that will work for any veggie:

Fill a large bowl with ice water (including chunks of ice). Set it near the stove. Bring a large pot of water to boil and place the asparagus into the water for 1-3 minutes - depending upon the thickness of the stalks. Remove the stalks with a slotted spoon and plunge them whole-heartedly into the ice water. This will preserve the beautiful green color and keep them nice and crisp. Keep the veggies in the ice water for as long as they have been boiled. If you are in a time crunch, you can run cold water for the veggies for a minute or so to cool them down. this works a little less well than the ice bath, but it works!

RECIPE

Here is a recipe for blanched asparagus with a Dijon mustard sauce.

This is a rather adult marinade, but you can toss in Italian dressing (or Ranch as my nieces and nephews do, if they can have dairy), or simply serve it plain for your little ones.

KID TIP

Get Your Kids to Eat Blanched Veggies!:  Blanched Veggies Over Raw Work Better