When you’re sick of the same old salads at a picnic, try this. It is extremely adaptable and can be served cold or at room temperature. The asparagus can be chopped, but I’ve noticed that it always overcooks. I like how the long spears are displayed on a lovely white dish. This is delicious with hamburgers, hot dogs, and a tray of sliced baked ham and potato salad. Enjoy!
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 8 hrs |
| Total Time: | 8 hrs 15 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
- ¾ cup distilled white vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup white sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the asparagus, and cook uncovered until slightly tender, about 1 minute. Drain in a colander, then immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Once the asparagus spears are cold, place them on paper towels to dry.
- Bring vinegar, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, celery seed, and salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil for 5 minutes.
- Spread the asparagus spears in a large dish or baking pan. Pour the vinegar mixture over the asparagus. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and serve cold or at room temperature.
Reviews
This dish was so simple and I impressed all my foodie friends. Dish was emptied well before dinner finished. Unexpected taste won’t let you stop eating them.
I really liked the cinnamon/clove/celery seed combo. A very different way to have asparagus and quite tasty. Like another reviewer, I felt it was better with a bit of salt. I also discovered I don’t really care for cold asparagus, so I recommend room temp as suggested in the recipe description.
I brought this to a potluck and there were no leftovers of this dish. I didn’t have the celery seed but added a pinch of cayene. Delicious.
excellent… just need a bit more salt for us.
Fresh asparagus is now in season…make this one soon. I have it in the fridge now at all times!