Steamed asparagus is a beautiful thing. Actually, asparagus in all forms is delicious. One of my favorite sneaky ways to bump up the excitement of steamed asparagus is to add some finely minced (or pressed) garlic and a little bit of salt before cooking it.

Get ready for next-level steamed asparagus. Did you know that asparagus is a great source of fiber? It also has lots of vitamins A, C and E… which is all the proof you need that asparagus is great, really.

By the way, if you want to save your lovely little spears from untimely wrinkling, wrap the ends in a damp paper towel and store them in the refrigerator.

Except for the asparagus, this is a one-pot meal, which means not only is there less cleaning to do, but you get all the delicious flavors and healthy (and not so healthy) bits together in a luscious sauce.

Serves: 4
Total time: 45 minutes

On the Counter

2 large free-range chicken breasts, split or 4 small chicken breasts
100 mL (1/2 cup) chicken stock or white wine
200 g (1/2 lb) white mushrooms
1 tbsp butter (or olive oil, if you’re dairy-free)
handful of chopped fresh parsley
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 large or 2 medium garlic cloves
1 shallot
16 spears of asparagus, tough ends snapped off
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

What to Do

Season the chicken liberally on both sides with salt and pepper.

Slice the mushrooms, chop the shallots and mince the garlic. Set 1/4 of the garlic aside. Slice the asparagus spears longways, either in half or quarters, depending how thick they are. You can then chop those pieces in half (or not!).

In a wide, flat bottomed pan, like a frying pan or skillet, heat the butter until it’s melted and bubbly.

On medium high, sear the chicken breasts (skin side down if it’s skin on) until it’s browned, about 4-5 minutes but have a peek underneath to confirm. If it’s sticking to the pan, give it more time. Flip the chicken and do the same again.

Remove the chicken and set it aside, covered.

Add a little more butter if needed, lower the heat and fry the shallots for 2-3 minutes, until they’re soft, stirring occasionally. Then the garlic goes in for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add in the mushrooms, and sautée. They’ll release a lot of liquid. Stir frequently until they’re soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Turn up the heat, stir in the wine or stock and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping (with a wooden spoon) the bottom.

Return the chicken to the pan and simmer it for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is at 65C/ 144 F degrees, or isn’t pink in the middle.

With about 5 minutes left on the chicken, set a 2-tiered steamer pan boiling. Add in the asparagus, 1/4 of the garlic and a pinch of salt. Steam for 2-3 minutes until bright green. Don’t let them go further or they’ll be too soft.

Once the chicken is done, remove the pan from the heat and stir in lemon juice and parsley.

Serve on its own, or with a salad or brown rice. It’s also good as leftovers!

This is an easy one. I like making this when there’s a beautiful trout sitting at the fishmonger waiting to be taken home and treated right.

With a nice piece of fish, I prefer to do as little as possible so that it shows just how tasty it can be. I know there are still a lot of people out there who don’t like fish, but I really think that a lot of times, that’s a case of mistaken identity. Badly-prepared fish can turn anyone off. That stinky smell of old fish turns me off just as fast as even the most ardent fish-hater. But a good piece fish… heaven.

This baked trout looks beautiful on a plate and whispers “elegance”, without much work on your part.

I served it with fresh steamed peas tossed in a tiny bit of butter, but if I’d had petit pois (little peas), I would have definitely used them. The butter is also optional!

Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

On the Counter

4 trout filets, with skin
1 lemon, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp herbes de provence
       (or a mix of dried thyme, rosemary, savory, basil, whichever you have)
kosher or ground rock salt
freshly ground black pepper

What to Do

Preheat oven to 350F/150C. Line a baking tray with foil and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. 

Pat the trout filets dry with a paper towel, then place them on the foil and season them, skin-side down, with salt and pepper. Let them sit for 3 minutes. 

Drizzle them with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then top with the herbes de provence.

Lay the lemon slices atop the filets, and if there are any extras, along the sides of the fish. 

Roast in the oven for 1o minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily. 

Serve! 

I usually squish the lemon onto the fish with a fork. The lemon juice works really well with the trout and herbs.