roasted portobello & asparagus: easiest vegetables ever

Went to a friend’s house for Easter dinner (yes, that was quite a while ago). Said friend was mystified about what she should do with the nice portobellos and asparagus she got at the store. Dinner was low-prep: prepared ham, bread, baked potatoes, canned sliced pineapple. All the dishes were prepped in the oven. And the veggies would be no exception, I told her.

Roasted Portobello & Asparagus

• herb mixture (preferably containing rosemary leaves and a little salt)
• olive oil
• portobellos
• asparagus

Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus. Depending upon the plants, you may need to cut off two inches from the end. Wash. As for the portobellos, remove the stem, wash, and cut into pieces 1/4″ wide. Arrange the portobellos and the asparagus onto a cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil onto the vegetables. Sprinkle the herb mixture. I used my friend’s recent purchase of a “Greek” salt, containing rosemary, lemon and sea salt. Bake at 350, for fifteen minutes – start eyeballing the vegetables ten minutes in. The baking yields a weighty savoriness from the portobellos, and carmelizes the asparagus. The yield? Easy clean up, and ooohhhhs and ahhhhhs at the dinner table – the happy diners in this scenario even included an approving teenager!