Zesty Asparagus with pine nuts

We are about three weeks into the asparagus season and I have yet not indulged in our seasonal and British grown asparagus until today. Today I bought 1kg of asparagus, enough to last us the next few days. That is of course if D doesn’t eat them as soldier dips with boiled eggs for his breakfast tomorrow.

This is a simple light dish. It is adapted from Catherine Masons book Vegetable Heaven. It is one of my favourite and most used cook books, simple food bursting with flavour. I have changed the quantities of some of the ingredients; otherwise it is pretty close to the original recipe.
On serving it looks like it would be a dry dish needing a splash of olive oil, but upon tasting you are hit by the lemon flavours absorbed by the asparagus upon slow cooking in the oven.
Asparagus with pine nuts
Serves 2
Ingredients
400g asparagus, tips removed and the ends peeled with a potato peeler. This is to remove any stalkiness.
25g butter
Zest and juice from 1 unwaxed lemon
A pinch of Maldon salt or sea salt
25g pine nuts

Preheat oven to gas mark 6

In a large tray, add butter along with lemon zest and juice, put in oven for a few minutes until the butter has melted.

Remove from oven and add asparagus, roll asparagus in lemony butter. Then cover with foil and cook, after 25 minutes remove from oven and add the pine nuts and bake without foil for a further 5 minutes.