"Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify."

"I do not go there (Walden Pond) to get my dinner, but to get that sustenance which dinners only preserve me to enjoy, without which dinners were a vain repetition."

That's what Henry David Thoreau had to say. While Thoreau was not known as much of cook (he regularly wandered from Walden into town to enjoy a proper meal), his philosophy certainly applies as much to the table as it does life's larger questions.

This asparagus dish is as simple as it gets. Should you wish to "complicate" it a bit, feel free to add a sprinkle of grated parmesan or romano cheese.

Ingredients
4 lb medium to large asparagus, trimmed
2-4 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Procedure:
1. Peel lower half to two thirds of each asparagus stalk with a vegetable peeler.
2. Cook asparagus in a wide 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Drain well in a colander, then return to pot and toss with butter, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.