total of twelve.
fill a mixing bowl with ice water and set aside. cut off the tough bottom few inches of the asparagus spears. place them in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water. turn the heat to low, cover and steam just until they’re tender, about 5 minutes. as soon as they’re done, remove them from the steamer basket, and save the hot water in the pot! add the asparagus spears to the bowl of ice water — leave them until they’re cool, about a minute. pat the asparagus dry with a paper towel and set aside.
add the chives to the saved hot water from the asparagus for 