3 min to read

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus All images are AI-generated with DALL-E 2.

My father was an angry man. He had three fingers on each hand, and he used them to beat me mercilessly. A war injury left him with a permanent disability that made him feel like he had to prove his masculinity through violence. He had a temper that would flare up at the drop of a hat, and he didn’t hesitate to take it out on those around him. He was especially hard on me, probably because I was his only child. Growing up on the farm in Tennessee wasn’t easy, but it was even harder with him as my father.

One of the things he used to do when he got angry was to take his belt off and whip me with it. It didn’t matter what I had done wrong, or if I had even done anything wrong at all. If he was in a bad mood, I would be the one who paid for it.

I remember one time when I was about 10 years old, I did something that made him so mad that he chased me around the house with a butcher knife. I thought for sure he was going to kill me. Somehow, I managed to escape and ran into the woods behind our house. I hid there for hours until finally, exhausted and hungry, I came out and went back home.

When I walked through the door, my father was sitting in his chair smoking a cigarette calmly like nothing had happened. It was like this scene played out over and over again throughout my childhood - my father losing his temper and taking it out on me physically or emotionally.

As an adult looking back, I can see how much damage this did to me emotionally. It’s no wonder that I have such trouble trusting people and have such difficulty maintaining relationships. But despite all of this pain that my father caused me, there are also some good memories mixed in there too. He was also a hardworking man who ran a successful farm. And one of the things he grew on his farm was asparagus.

As a child, I used to love eating asparagus fresh from the field. My father would take me out to the asparagus patch and let me eat as much as I wanted. And even though he was a cruel man, in those moments, I loved him.

Now, every time I eat asparagus, I think of my father and the good times we had together on the farm.

If you’re looking for a simple, delicious way to enjoy asparagus, roasting is definitely the way to go! This popular vegetable can be enjoyed all year round, but is especially wonderful in the springtime.

To roast asparagus, simply preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and then trim the ends off of your fresh asparagus spears. Next, spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper (or any other herbs or spices you like), and then roast for 10-12 minutes until tender and slightly browned. Serve immediately!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. Place the asparagus on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes, or until tender and slightly browned. Serve immediately.

The text for this blog post and recipe were AI-generated using GPT-3. Use at your own risk.

CREDIT

Inspiration for this recipe goes to Lurkin’ Mom from Twitter. May 5, 2020. https://twitter.com/LurkAtHomeMom/status/1257778233833119746?s=20&t=HCG9XnOmN_omF1t7wJg2UQ