12,525 Reasons to Try This Absurdly Addictive Asparagus

Absurdly Addictive Asparagus—Hyperbolic? Perhaps. Too good to be true? Maybe not. As easy to make as it is to scarf down? Most definitely. Take it from community member Dylan Mierzwinski, who had this to say about our site’s most popular asparagus recipe:

“This was so wonderful (all ninety times I’ve made it). I don’t change a thing, this is my go-to ‘impress others’ dish. And let’s be real...my ‘impress myself’ dish.”

Originally uploaded to Food52 by community member kaykay in 2010, this recipe has racked up an impressive amount of attention, with upwards of 12,000 favorites and 300 comments. In honor of this success, we’ve memorialized it in video form, just in time for spring—a.k.a. asparagus season. The flavors are few but purposeful. Sharp citrus and buttery pine nuts meld with pancetta’s welcome heft; the asparagus pop out of the pan crunchy and vegetal, dappled in an exciting new sauce.

In fact, this recipe has been popular on our site for so long that this isn’t even the first time we made this asparagus on camera. Eight years back, when Food52 was still a fledgling young enterprise, Amanda and Merrill recorded this very charming proto–recipe video for Absurdly Addictive Asparagus in their Brooklyn kitchen. Camera quality has definitely come a long way since then, but the simplicity and tastiness of the recipe are timeless.

Have you ever tried this fan-favorite recipe? If so, tell us about it in the comments.