Absurdly Addictive Asparagus from Food52

I just discovered that former NY Times food writer and author Amanda Hesser has a terrific food website. Founded with partner Merrill Stubbs, Food52 features recipes from recognized chefs and community readers with a passion for food. The site is called Food52 and was founded to "bring cooks together from all over to exchange recipes and ideas and to support each other in the kitchen. We wanted to create a buzzing place for others who do what we do all day long: talk about food!"

Everything looks delicious on the site which is attractively designed and easy to navigate.

Here's just one of the appealing seasonal recipes I found this week:

Absurdly Addictive Asparagus by kaykay

"The title pretty much says it all. With her recipe, kaykay takes an already promising set of ingredients and artfully combines them in such a way that the resulting dish exceeds the sum of its parts. 2-inch lengths of asparagus, crisp-tender to the bite, take center stage in a savory tangle of leeks, pancetta, garlic, orange zest, parsley and pine nuts. The rendered fat from the pancetta, along with a knob of butter, is just enough to keep the vegetables from being dry without smothering the fresh flavors. The recipe is supposed to serve 4, but we could easily imagine polishing off an entire pan by ourselves."

Serves 4

4 ounces pancetta, cut into 3/8 inch to 1/4 inch dice
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound asparagus, woody ends trimmed and sliced into 2 inch pieces on the bias
1 1/4 cup leek, thinly sliced crosswise (white and pale green parts only)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1-2 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large non-stick pan, sauté pancetta, stirring frequently, over medium heat, until crisp and lightly golden.
Add 1 tablespoon of butter to pan. Add asparagus pieces and leek and sauté until asparagus is tender crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
Add garlic, lemon and orange zest, toasted pine nuts and parsley and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and salt and serve immediately.

This recipe was the winner of the Best Asparagus Recipe Contest. Check out Food52 for virtual inspiration in the kitchen.