Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
1 bunch jumbo asparagus (1 pound)
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lemon
1 tablespoon capers
Freshly ground pepper
Directions
Take a spear of asparagus and bend it until it snaps. With a kitchen knife, cut the remaining spears of asparagus to match the length of the snapped stalk. Lay the asparagus flat on a cutting board and with a sharp peeler, peel to within a an inch of the tips. Lightly rinse the asparagus.
Bring about 3 quarts of water to a boil with 3 tablespoons of salt. Drop the asparagus in boiling water.
Place the butter in a large saucepan off the heat. Zest the lemon with a fine zester into the butter.
After the pot comes back to a boil, boil the asparagus about 3 minutes. With a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the asparagus from the boiling water and drop into the saucepan. Allow a few tablespoons of the asparagus cooking water to the saucepan. Turn the heat on the saucepan, add the capers, juice of 1 lemon, freshly ground pepper and additional salt if necessary.
Place the asparagus on a platter — I like to arrange the spears so the tips are all going in the same direction — with sauce and serve immediately.
