Aparagi or asparaguses?

Answer: neither.  The plural is asparagus.

This was so good that I just had to share it.  Jean brought home some fresh asparagus last week and so I was left with the quandary of how to cook it.  We hardly ever eat it so what do you do with it other than steam or boil it?  Well I found this fantastic recipe in mom's cook book (Berry, Mary and Marlena Spieler.  Classic Home Cooking.  Pg. 349.  DK Publishing, Inc.: 1995.):

Asparagus with Parmesan

Serves 4

1 1/4 lb (625 g) asparagus
1 c (90 g) grated Parmesan cheese
lemon wedges and flat leaf parsley sprigs to garnish

MARINADE
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dry white wine
1 tsp white vinegar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 herbes de Provence
salt and black pepper

1. Trim the woody ends from the asparagus.

2. Make the marinade: combine the oil, wine, vinegar, garlic, herbes de Provence, and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss the asparagus in the marinade, cover, and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.

3. Sprinkle the Parmesan onto a plate.  Roll the apsaragus in the Parmesan to coat, then arrange in a single layer in a large ovenproof dish.

4.  Pour any remaining marinade over the asparagus and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned and sizzling hot.  Garnish with the lemon wedges and parsley sprigs and serve immediately.

I didn't have time to worry about the garnishing accoutrements, but I made up for it.  Instead of using lemon wedges, I simply added a little lemon juice to the marinade.  Also, I didn't have herbes de Provence available to me, since I live in the middle of nowhere, so I had to make something like it myself.  I used a combination of sage, marjoram, fennel, thyme, rosemary, and basil.  It's my understanding that savory, bay leaf, chervil, tarragon, mint, oregano, and lavender can also be used in the mixture.

Cooking it is a little trickier.  I used a rimmed cookie sheet so the olive oil wouldn't make a mess.  Watch the oven!  The recipe said 15 minutes, but it was ready at about 7 minutes.  I wouldn't leave it longer than 10 minutes.  Maybe my altitude is a factor since I'm a mile high.  Once the Parmesan is baked onto the asparagus, it's ready to come out.  If the asparagus starts turning brown, it's overdone, but still edible. Yeah, I admit to overcooking it the first time around.  I had it in the oven for exactly 15 minutes.

Eating it is wonderful.  It's best when it first comes out of the oven.  Don't let it cool down.  If you make it with other dishes, this should be the last one out.

I've never liked asparagus that much until I tried it with this recipe.  I guess if it's drenched in olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and spices, it's got to be good. :)