Asparagus with Buttery Shallot Sauce

I picked up some Shallots this past week because I have never actually used them for cooking. Well, that needed to change. I've seen many recipes with them used and thought that a recipe I threw together would be a good start before delving into more complicated usages. So stay tuned if you like Shallots since I will most likely be using them in a lot of sauce creations in the future!

Ingredients:
5 Shallots
3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 stick of Butter
1/4 cup White Wine
Paprika
Sea Salt
Fennel Powder

First, I made sure I had everything I needed.

Once I had every thing together, I grabbed the Asparagus I had bought as well thinking that I can make this work. Well, I was right. The Shallots I diced up into as small of pieces as I could without mortally wounding my delicate fingers. I then did the same to the Garlic Cloves. Now that that is done, I turned to the Asparagus and trimmed off the thick ends. I did this because I wanted to cook everything properly without worrying that most of the stalks go bad just to cook the thick end.

Using a saucepan on the stove and setting the heat to medium, I waited for my half stick of Butter to melt. Once it was mostly melted, I dumped the diced Shallots and Garlic in and mixed them around with a pinch of Sea Salt. Once that was done, in went the half cup of White Wine and I topped it all off with a pinch or three of Paprika.

Once the Shallots started turning translucent I put in the Asparagus itself. Mix this around to get the buttery shallot mixture over everything. Taste test every once in awhile to find out if it is cooked properly.

Once it is done, turn off the heat and transfer the Asparagus to a plate. I put this plate in the microwave to let it stay warm easier, longer.

Now at this point I turned to making my Buttery Shallot Sauce. This part includes everything not Asparagus that was left in the saucepan. Scoop all of this, liquid included, into a small food processor. To this I added a little bit of Italian Caesar Dressing, a pinch or two of Italian Herb Mix, and some Fennel Powder. I closed it up and pureed the life out of it.

The final step in this recipe it to plate it. I chose a long narrow plate to compliment the shape of the Asparagus. I thought that skewing them by placing them diagonally would make the whole dish come together better. To top it off, the sauce I laid down in two simple lines to accent the length of the dish, almost make it seem even longer than it is. Enjoy.