Marinated Asparagus

l lb asparagus stalks
1/3 c olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
cracked pepper
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 lemon, juiced

Steam asparagus for five minutes, then plunge into a pan of cold water. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer in a dish (a 13 x 9" cake pan works well). Cover and refrigerate the asparagus.

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic to the oil, stirring the mixture to coat the garlic, and separate all of the garlic slices. Fry the garlic until it is a deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Crush the oregano and add it to the oil and garlic. Cool the mixture completely.

Pour the oil-garlic mixture over the asparagus. Cover the asparagus and refrigerate at least twelve hours.

To serve, arrange the asparagus and garlic on serving plates and drizzle with lemon juice.