asparagus with chorizo and croutons

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound large, thick, firm asparagus, lower third of the stalks peeled with a vegetable peeler or snapped off
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 4 ounces Spanish chorizo (but Portuguese chouriço will work as well), cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups 3/4-inch bread cubes (croutons), preferably from a baguette or country bread loaf
• 1/4 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup cooked beans (optional; I used 3/4 pound fresh cranberry beans, shucked then boiled for 20 minutes in lightly salted water)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper