[ButterSticks]

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 pound asparagus, washed, woody ends broken or cut off, then cut in one-inch lengths, tips put aside
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons anchovy paste, or you can mince anchovy fillets

Heat the oil until shimmery on MEDIUM HIGH in a skillet large enough to mostly hold the asparagus in a single layer. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook a minute, stirring constantly. Add the asparagus spears (leave the tips out for now), water and anchovy paste and stir gently but thoroughly to disperse the anchovy. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover, reduce the heat to MEDIUM, add the asparagus tips. Continue to cook, stirring often, until asparagus reaches desired level of doneness - my preference is a shade past tender-crisp.