My first recollection of asparagus was slimy canned asparagus served with school lunches.  Yuck!  My Mother would occasionally gather wild asparagus in the spring, but it was not a regular visitor to our home dinner table.

As an adult, I’ve learned to love asparagus and the many ways it can be prepared. I ran across this recipe AND I had all of the ingredients.  This recipe is so simple and quite elegant.  Tonight I paired it with salmon, always a wonderful combination.

Next time I try this recipe, I may use chopped pecans for a little different twist.

ASPARAUS WITH CRAISINS AND PINE NUTS

1 bunch asparagus
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 up dried cranberries (Craisins)
pinch of salt

• Break off or trim the woody ends from the asparagus and discard. Set the spears aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• Stir in the pine nuts, cranberries, and salt.
• Cook and stir until the pine nuts start to look translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove from heat and set aside.
• Add the asparagus spears to the skillet and cook, adding a little more olive oil if needed, until stalks are bright green and tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
• Serve on a platter and top with the cranberries and pine nut mixture.

Adapated from allrecipes.com, Asparagus with Cranberries and Pine Nuts