Asparagus with Shallots and Garlic

Shallots & Garlic make all the difference.

An easy, go-to side dish is asparagus. Asparagus is surprisingly versatile: it comes in different sizes (lengths and thickness) and colors (white and green) - and it can be grilled, sauteed, baked, or creamed for soups.  Its leftovers do well re-heated, or, chopped into smaller pieces as salad toppings or to mix into stews, add to a casserole, etc.

Two magical flavor-packed morsels make asparagus a knock-out side dish, not just a good one: shallots and garlic.  And it should be said that shallots and garlic are like peanut butter and jelly - they are 100% reliably tasty, and they always make everything better.  Shallots and garlic pack punches of flavor that are always available, easy to handle in the kitchen, and cheap at the grocery store.

A couple rules of the road about preparing garlic: the more you cut into the garlic, the more oils are released, which gives you great flavor.  Make sure to cut the garlic length-wise first, and try to get as thin with the slices as possible. (Obviously this requires a quality knife that you're comfortable handling.)
Check out this great video on the how-tos.

The above asparagus dish also included olive oil, a dash of balsamic, one spoonful of Dijon mustard, malt vinegar sea salt, and a little pepper.  Let asparagus simmer, turning throughout, for a total of 10-12 minutes, depending on the tenderness you want. Serve hot or cold!