Asian Asparagus & Mushrooms

 Anything with ginger & garlic instantly takes on a bit of an 'Asian' flavor profile. It's one I like. Sesame oil and shitake mushrooms continue building an Asian dish, though a different oil could be used, and other mushrooms could work here too. In fact, if you really don't like asparagus, this Food Network original recipe would work with broccoli, too...

Ingredients
2 C broccoli, cut into 3" lengths
2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp minced ginger*

1 C shitake mushroom caps, sliced

1 clove garlic*

1 T butter

1-2 tsp soy sauce

s&p to taste

* Fresh is ideal, but I keep purchased squeeze bottles of minced ginger and garlic on hand. I like cooking Asian flavors enough that I use them frequently -- and garlic is also in Italian and a lot of other dishes as well.   ...and my fingers don't smell of garlic, even if I don't wear gloves!

Directions

Heat sesame oil in a skillet; add ginger and garlic, cooking just until fragrant (1 minute). Add shitake mushroom caps (the stems can be quite woody & tough); cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown. Add asparagus and a few tablespoons of water; cover to steam-cook asparagus until crisp-tender (3-4 minutes depending on thickness of asparagus stalks). Finish with soy sauce and butter, tossing or stirring to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper.

I had a few crispy fried shallots to top off my asparagus and mushrooms, which added great flavor and texture to the dish!