Page 7 - UMass2018_CookBook

Asparagus Bundles
Harper Family, Santa Rosa Valley, CA
“Every holiday/birthday, asparagus bundles are requested. Who can resist brown sugar and buttered veggies?” — Jennifer Harper
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut the ends off the asparagus so the bundles can fit into a large rectangular Pyrex baking dish. For each bundle, use
3 to 5 asparagus spears, depending on their thickness (4 spears per bundle is usually perfect. Each person will receive
2 or 3 bundles.) Using 1 bacon slice for each bundle, wrap the bacon around the asparagus from bottom to top; wrap tightly but take care to not tear the bacon.
3. Place the asparagus bundles in the baking dish; the bundles can be placed very close to each other. You should be able to fit 10 to 12 bundles in the dish.
4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved, then stir in the soy sauce and a dash each of garlic salt and pepper.
5. Pour the butter mixture over the aspar- agus bundles. Sprinkle a little crumbled brown sugar and some garlic salt and pepper directly over the asparagus.
6. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes (if you don’t like the asparagus a little crunchy, bake for 45 minutes).
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 to 2 bunches asparagus (smaller spears are better)
1 pound thick-cut bacon
1⁄2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1⁄2 cup soy sauce (low sodium is okay)
Garlic salt
Ground black pepper
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