Eating Well at Mary's Place in Las Vegas
/Living with David's sister, Mary, while we're in Las Vegas has not been good for our diets. Mary is a terrific cook. It's not that what she cooks is high calorie or unhealthy, it's more like it's so good, we just eat a lot of whatever she cooks. I'll say “Let's have chicken on the grill for dinner.” Mary will say “Sure, I'll just whip up a rum-citrus marinade and how about a mango salad to go with it? Or maybe asparagus fries? Or both?” Then she ends up making a multi-layered fresh fruit and cream trifle for dessert.
The asparagus fries, by the way, are absolutely out of this world. She shared the recipe. It's easy and I can even do it on the boat … assuming I can find fresh asparagus. It would be a great side dish or a wonderful appetizer with a Ranch dressing dip, for instance. Give it a try.
- 1 lb fresh asparagus spears, rinsed and trimmed (leave them damp)
- ½ c flour mixed with ¼ tsp salt
- 1 egg beaten with 2 tbsp water
- 3/4c panko breadcrumbs mixed with ½ c grated parmesan cheese
- Set up the breading station: Flour, egg, breadcrumbs.
- Roll a few damp spears at a time … in flour, then egg mixture, then breadcrumbs/cheese mix
- Lay in a single layer on rack on a sheet pan
- Cook at 400F (200C) for 20 minutes or until golden brown
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Mary thinks this would probably work well for fresh green beans and maybe even halved Brussel sprouts.
When it's time to head back to Nine of Cups, we'll be very happy to waddle back towards the boat, but in the meantime … thanks for feeding us so well, Mary.