Mamaw's Asparagus Casserole

When asparagus spears poked their heads up in the back yard, my mother snapped them off and headed for the kitchen to make her famous asparagus casserole. Mother has been gone for many years, but her asparagus casserole is recreated in her granddaughter’s kitchen and mine every spring. This dish is so tasty there’s never any left over.

Here’s the recipe, in case you want to try it.

3 hard-boiled eggs

2 cups of thin white sauce

1 bunch of asparagus

cracker crumbs or bread crumbs

First, make the white sauce, using 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of flour. Melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan. Add the flour and let the butter and flour bubble together for a minute or two. (I think of this as “marrying the butter and flour.") Meanwhile heat 2 cups of milk in a pan or in the microwave. Stir the heated milk into the butter-flour mixture and continue cooking and stirring over medium heat. The sauce should come to a slow boil and begin to thicken. Then it’s done. Add salt and pepper as you desire.

Set the sauce aside and prepare the asparagus for steaming. Snap off and discard the tough end of each spear, then snap each spear in half. I like to steam the lower halves separately for 10 minutes. Then I steam the tip ends for 6 or 7 minutes.

Peel the hard-boiled eggs.

Now it’s time to assemble the layers in an 8-inch baking pan. First spread a bit of white sauce in the bottom of the pan and arrange the bottom ends of asparagus on top.

Next, slice the eggs, arrange the slices on top.

Add another layer of white sauce, the asparagus tips and then the last of the white sauce.

Finally, crush some saltines.

Now, scatter the cracker crumbs over the top and dot with butter.

Bake in a 370º oven for about 20 minutes.

While enjoying this dish be sure to remember your mamaw.

Copyright 2013 by Shirley Domer