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Besides the asparagus you’ll need a Vidalia onion, olive oil, chile flakes, red wine vinegar, honey, minced garlic, salt, black pepper and a lemon. As I couldn’t locate chile flakes, I substituted cayenne pepper. The preparation was quick and easy make. With a bit of prep such as trimming asparagus and julienning the onion, you side dish is done in about 15 minutes. Everyone enjoyed the preparation. My local ShopRite had a great sale on asparagus right before Easter, $0.99/lb. with a digital coupon. I purchased two pounds before knowing how to prepare them. I searched www.lidiasitaly.com and found a recipe for Scallion and Asparagus Salad. This is a nice alternative to a lettuce salad. In addition to the main ingredients, you’ll need salt, extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh ground black pepper and 3 hard boiled eggs (peeled). The asparagus and scallions are cooked briefly in boiling water. Next, the vegetables are cut into 1-inch lengths and dressed with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss gently, then add the hard boiled eggs for another gentle toss…yum! By the way, as my husband was proofreading my blog, he said to me in reference to Easter dinner, "There was applesauce on the table?" Not believing me, he had to text our son, who also didn't see it. His wife confirmed that, indeed, there was applesauce on the table. Simple Chile and Honey Asparagus From Garden and Gun Magazine Chef Charles Hunter III chef and writer of The Salted Table blog Yield: 3 or 4 servings INGREDIENTS 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into halves or thirds ½ Vidalia onion, julienned 3 tbsp. olive oil ¼ tsp. chile flakes 1 tsp. red wine vinegar 1 tsp. honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Kosher salt Black pepper 1 lemon PREPARATION Place asparagus, onion, olive oil, and chile flakes in a sauté pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until asparagus begins to brown and onions become tender, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add vinegar, honey, and garlic. Stir for 2 minutes to ensure everything is evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over risotto, creamy grits, or mashed potatoes with a squeeze of lemon. 
SCALLION AND ASPARAGUS SALAD From the website www.lidiasitaly.com Serves 6 Ingredients 1-1/2 POUNDS FRESH ASPARAGUS 3/4 POUND SCALLIONS 1 TEASPOONS SALT 3-1/2 TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 1-1/2 TABLESPOONS RED WINE VINEGAR FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER TO TASTE 3 HARD EGGS, PEELED PREPARATION Using a vegetable peeler, shave off the skin from the bottom 3 inches or so of each asparagus stalk, so they cook evenly. Snap off the hard stubs at the bottom—they’ll break naturally at the right point as you bend the bottom of the asparagus. To prepare the scallions, trim the roots and the wilted ends of the green leaves. Peel off the loose layers at the white end, so the scallions are all tight, trim, and about 6-inches long. Bring one quart of water (or enough to cover the vegetables) to a boil in a wide deep skillet, and add the asparagus and scallions. Adjust the heat to maintain a bubbling boil and poach the vegetables, uncovered, for about 6 minutes, or more, until they are tender but not falling apart and cooked through but not mushy. To check doneness, pick up an asparagus spear by its middle with tongs: it should be a little droopy, but not collapsing. As soon as they are done, lift out the vegetables with tongs and lay them in a colander (any fat asparagus spears may take a little longer so leave them in a few minutes more). Hold the colander under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain briefly, then spread on kitchen towels and pat dry, and sprinkle with about ½ teaspoon salt over them. Slice the asparagus and the scallions into 1-inch lengths and pile them loosely in a mixing bowl. Drizzle the oil and vinegar over the top, and sprinkle on the remaining salt and several grinds of black pepper. Toss well, but don’t break up the vegetables. Quarter the eggs into wedges and slice each wedge into 2 or 3 pieces; scatter these in the bowl and fold in with the vegetables. Taste and adjust the dressing. Chill the salad briefly, then arrange it on a serving platter or on salad plates.
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