How many people does it take to produce a decent photo of asparagus with a Parmesan crust? Obviously, more than are sitting at my kitchen table tonight. Ordinarily, I bypass the recipe and find something else to post, but this is such a nice dish that I wanted to share it with you  while asparagus is still in season. I'll be posting twice today to make up for the bad photograph. The version of the dish I'm highlighting tonight was developed by Mark Bittman, and you can find his recipe and a photo of the asparagus as he made it, here. The dish is simple to make and can be assembled several hours before serving. Those of you who try this recipe will be really pleased with the results. Here's how the asparagus is made. 

Roasted Asparagus With Crunchy Parmesan Topping

Ingredients:

1/2 cup bread crumbs, preferably homemade

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1-1/2 pounds asparagus, more or less

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan.

2) Rinse asparagus and break off woody bottoms. Peel if thick. Lay stalks in a baking dish that will hold them in two or three layers, and, if asparagus are thick, add a splash of water. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in oven.

3) Roast until asparagus are tender, 10 to 12 minutes if they’re thick. Test for doneness by piercing a spear with point of a sharp knife; it should slide in but meet a little resistance. (Up to this point, recipe can be made as much as two hours before serving; just leave asparagus at room temperature.)

4) Turn on broiler and place rack as close as possible to heating element. Top asparagus with cheese-crumb mixture and run under broiler to brown, a minute or two. Serve hot or at room temperature. Yield: 4 servings.

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