What’s not to love about asparagus? It’s gorgeous, it’s flavorful and the ease of cooking it makes it a go-to side for a lot of our recipes. There are many ways to prepare this beautiful green, but I gravitate towards roasted asparagus because of one of Mike’s and my favorite chefs, Jamie Oliver.

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Easy Roasted Asparagus

Photography Tips for Asparagus

COOKING GEAR = PROPS

I kept this photo shoot really simple. I didn’t use any special props, because I loved the texture from the parchment paper and tarnished baking sheet. I didn’t think the images really needed anything else for this shoot.

GREENS LOSE THEIR COLOR AS THEY COOK

Whenever you’re cooking or roasting anything green, it will get darker as it cooks causing the colors to become more dull. For the shoot, I removed the asparagus from the oven early so I could capture the vibrant green color before it started to lose its color. After I took a few shots that I was happy with, I put them back in the oven to finish roasting. The added drops of olive oil created a rustic and natural look that I truly love in food photography. Don’t be afraid to let those drops and natural ‘messes’ help tell your food story.

PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR

For this shoot, I used my Nikon D7100 and my 50mm 1.8 lens and natural light from the window. Sometimes you really don’t need much to capture beautiful food images. Did I mention that the lens I used is only $200? Most of my lenses are $1,000+, so this is a steal for a good quality lens.

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Read More About: My Current Gear for Food Photography

Recipe Notes for Roasted Asparagus

ROAST FIRST. THEN ADD SEASONING.

Jamie Oliver recommends roasting the asparagus without any seasoning. Mike and I used to always add the seasoning first, so this was a new technique to us. We gave his suggestion a try and haven’t gone back since. Adding the seasoning after roasting allows the natural flavors of the asparagus to shine through. There’s almost more of a subtle nuttiness to the taste. It’s delicious and works well as a side with anything you’re making for dinner.

Happy Cooking!

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Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of green asparagus
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, to taste
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash asparagus and break off the ends. Asparagus lets you know where to break it.
3. Drizzle the baking sheet with olive oil.
4. Place asparagus on the baking sheet without any seasoning. Roasting asparagus without seasoning actually brings out a really nice nutty flavor.
5. Roast asparagus for about 10-15 minutes, using a fork to test the crispness.
6. Remove asparagus from oven and drizzle with olive oil.
7. Season with salt, pepper, lemon and grated Parmesan.

Notes

Adapted from Jamie Oliver.

All images © Regan Baroni 2014.