ASPARAGUS MEANS SPRING

I love asparagus, thanks in large part to my Mother. Every spring, when the local harvest appeared, she kept a big platter of lightly marinated spears in the refrigerator for us to snack on, making it into a fun finger-food and an anticipated annual treat. Now, like most produce, it’s available in markets all year. The cost varies with, I guess, transporting distance, but not even in the farm markets does the price drop to the former spring harvest levels. On the other hand, it’s not nearly so expensive in winter as when it was considered a gourmet item.

Also, as with other produce, GMOs have changed asparagus’ appearance. Gone are the ‘Jumbo’ spears, needing only three or four to make a side serving and the flavorful, reed-thin stalks which resembled their wild ancestors. Gone too is the purple tint that indicated sweetness, but disappeared with cooking and the white slightly crunchy variety, beloved in Europe, which is grown under cover, usually hay, to prevent photosynthesis.

However, selecting the stalks to buy hasn’t changed. The stems should be firm and smooth and the buds tightly closed. Asparagus is a uniquely individual crop. It’s a perennial, taking several years to establish. It has a very short season, during which the shoots grow to maturity in a matter of hours and must be harvested daily. Harvesting stops while there are still many shoots left, which are allowed to grow to maturity, open their buds and scatter the seeds in the wind, planting the next year’s crop.

So it’s logical a wrinkled stem indicates poor or prolonged storage but open, or feathery, buds can also indicate delayed harvesting. The stems should firm and smooth and the buds tightly closed. The bottom of the asparagus stalk is hard and woody. Simply hold it in one hand and gently move the other up the stalk, bending it lightly and the hard end breaks off. This is usually done before storing, which is stalks upright in about 2 inches of water covered by a plastic bag for 3-5 days. This water bath also revives ‘tired’, limp asparagus.

Asparagus is wonderful cold, but not raw. The fibers in the stems need heat to soften to be digestible. I like to blanch it by brief submersion in boiling water to bring out the color, even when preparing a cooked dish, except for grilling or roasting. For either of these methods make sure the asparagus is dry. Before grilling the spears should be tossed in oil and placed in a basket or threaded on skewers and cooked over medium heat only 40-60 sec. per side. To roast the oil tossed spears are placed on a baking sheet and placed in a 425 deg. oven for 2 min., shaken to turn and cooled 2-3 min. more. To test for doneness, pierce slightly with the point of a knife. The skin should yield with only slight resistance.

From its neat, new appearance and its bright seasonal coloring to, most of all, its slightly sweet, subtly grassy taste, asparagus conveys the essence of Spring. Although recently made available all year, take time to savor some now. It’s sure to lift your spirits, shake off the winter greys and get you in tune with the season. The following recipes are a good place to start.

RECIPES
Asparagus Preparation
Break off the woody part of the stems and boil or steam until tender, about 8-10 min. Optionally, put the spears in a microwave proof dish in one layer if possible, no more than two, or cook in batches. Microwave on high 3 to 9 min. depending on the thickness of the stems. If marinating, put drained spears on a serving plate, pour marinade over them and allow it to infuse as the asparagus cools, then refrigerate or serve. If saucing, shock spears with cold water, chill them and sauce before serving, sauce at once and serve hot or blanch spears and cook them with the sauce. When preparing a dish, remember, cutting the stalks in pieces increases the volume.

ASPARAGUS ROLLS:
Blanched asparagus
1 slice white bread for each spear-crusts removed
Mayonnaise, butter or anchovy paste
Trim ends and blanch asparagus either on the stove or in the microwave; drain and cool. Spread the bread on one side with condiment of choice. Roll an asparagus spear in each slice of bread on the spread side and place seam side down on a platter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to24 hr. Toast under a quick boiler and serve at once.

Asparagus Soup: Yields about 1 quart
1 lb. asparagus—8>10 tips reserved , stems cut in 2 inch pieces
2 envelopes chicken bouillon granules
Water to cover
Optional -a few celery leaves
1 cup half-and-half or 1/2 cup sour cream–Both Optional
Cook the asparagus in a bit of water until crisp-tender. Remove tips to be reserved. Add water to cover, bouillon and cook asparagus, with celery leaves, until very tender, adding water to maintain level if needed. Puree in a blender, add reserved tips and chill. For a cream soup stir in cream before serving, otherwise garnish with dollops of sour cream. Can be served hot or cold.

Asparagus Pizza
1 lb. asparagus
1 large red bell pepper – chopped
1 lb. mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan
1 cup pesto sauce
2 pita breads-split or (1) 12 inch pizza round
Boil asparagus until crisp tender and diagonally cut in 2 inch pieces. Spread rounds with pesto and top with asparagus, pepper and cheeses. Bake at 425 deg. for 15 min.
*NOTE: ½ > 1 cup diced, cooked chicken is a great addition to this pizza.

For Marinating: Use any vinaigrette of choice- See this site’s 7/31/15 posting for ideas
For Saucing: Plain white sauce and Hollandaise are popular or for 4 servings combine
¼ tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. mustard powder or ¼ tap. Brown mustard
½ tsp. EACH salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 Tbs. sour cream
1 minced hard-boiled egg-Optional
Stir all the above ingredients together, except the egg. Add that at the end. Spoon over cooked asparagus and serve hot or cold.
Garnishes: Asparagus loves to be decorated, with or without a sauce, and will accept many things: sliced or chopped roasted or fresh peppers, chopped eggs, toasted chopped nuts and seeds, anchovies, capers, herbs crumbled bacon, even toasted breadcrumbs.

Asparagus Salads: Asparagus has always been a favorite for salads. It’s decorative and its subtle flavor combines well with other ingredients. It does well with slightly assertive greens, like spinach, most vegetables and citrus fruits, as well as pineapple, strawberries and melons
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For Entrée Salads asparagus is a natural with seafood, especially cold shellfish and it loves all cooked meats. Usually creamy dressings are the preferred choice for seafood and vinaigrettes for the meat, but the choice is purely personal. Garnishing suggestions for asparagus salads are listed above.

Asparagus with Ham Bechamel Serves 4
1 lb. fresh asparagus spears- if using slender young ones allow about 12 per portion-gage according to size of stalks
1 lb. deli sliced ham – allow 4 slices per portion.
2 cups milk
4 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. flour
salt and pepper
½ cup shredded sharp cheese
Paprika and parsley for garnish
Break off the woody part of the stems and put the spears in a microwave proof dish in one layer, if possible, no more than two, or cook in batches. Microwave on high 3 to 9 min. depending on the thickness of the stems, shock spears with cold water.
Make a Bechamel or white sauce by melting the butter until it foams, remove from heat, stir in flour to make a smooth paste and quickly add milk. Stir over medium heat until sauce is silky and thick. Do not allow to boil. Season.
Separate the asparagus into 16 equal portions. Wrap each in a slice of ham. Place seam side down in an oven proof dish. Cover with the sauce, sprinkle with cheese and garnish with paprika and parsley. Bake in a preheated 350 deg. For 15 to 20 min. until cheese melts and sauce bubbles.
NOTE: Without the ham, this makes Asparagus au Gratin, an excellent side dish

Asparagus Quiche: Serves 4-6 Filling from Day By Day Cooking by Mary Berry
Pastry:
1 ½ cups flour
6 Tbs. shortening= 6 Tbs.
3 Tbs. + ICE water
Mix the flour and shortening in a bowl with 2 knives until it resembles small pebbles. Add the ice water and kneed until the dough forms a mass, adding more water as and if needed. Form into a ball and chill 15-30 min. Roll out to fit a 9 inch tart pan.
Filling:
10 oz. asparagus- cooked to crisp-tender
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups light cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional garnishes–Sliced pimento stuffed green olives, capers, strips of jarred, roasted red peppers, or crumbled bacon (TIP-This quiche needs a salty finishing touch)
Preheat oven to 400 deg. and place a baking tray on the middle cooking rack. Cut the tips off the asparagus, reserve about 8, slice the stems into 2inch pieces and arrange in the bottom of the lined tart pan. Beat the eggs, cream and seasonings together and pour over the asparagus. Bake for 15 min., reduce heat and bake for 20-25 min. more until golden on top. Decorate top with asparagus tips and olives or peppers and capers. Serve hot.

Creamy Asparagus Linguini: Serves 4-From The Essential Pasta Cookbook by Bay Books
6 oz. ricotta cheese
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Pinch Nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. linguini
1 lb. asparagus
½ cup slivered toasted almonds
Stir the ricotta a in a bowl with the next 4 ingredients until smooth. Cut the asparagus spears in 2 inch pieces. Boil the linguini in salted water until crisp, add the asparagus and boil until tender, 3-7 min. Drain the pasta and asparagus, reserving 2 Tbs. of cooking water. Return to the post and toss with the ricotta mix plus the cooking water. Serve hot garnished with the almonds.

Asparagus Stuffed Chicken: Single portion
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (tender attached) or thigh
2 blanched asparagus spears
1 Deli slice Swiss cheese
Lemon pepper
½ tsp. mayonnaise–optional
Fine bread crumbs—optional
Cut a slit almost through the chicken breast, or lightly pound the thigh to an even thickness. Put a pinch of lemon pepper on the underside of the slit or one side of the thigh and cover it with half the cheese, sliced to fit if needed. Layer the asparagus spears, trimmed to the length of the chicken, top to bottom next, with the excess pieces of stalk on top, and then the rest of the cheese. Anchor the top of the meat in place with a toothpick if necessary. Optionally, lightly spread the mayonnaise over the top of the chicken and cover with a thin layer of breadcrumbs. (This coating helps to keep the meat moist.) Bake on a lightly oiled surface in a preheated 375 deg. oven 35-40 min. until golden, the cheese bubbles and the juices run clear. Serve immediately.