Mary Ann's Blog
Asparagus! Spring’s Culinary Star
May 14, 2019
Tied in neat, tight bundles, like bouquets of flowers, fresh and locally grown tender asparagus makes its welcome appearance from March through June. In the time line of food history, asparagus has come down today not only in its traditional rich green color, but in white, variegated, and purple hues too. Thick, white asparagus, favored by Europeans, is grown underground to prevent it from turning green. The most popular way to eat it is steamed with lots of melted butter or pureed for creamy asparagus soup.
Asparagusis a member of the lily family; itsyoung shoots turn into tall, wispy fern like plants if not picked when young.
Growing your own asparagus is a labor of love and patience. It takes 3 to 4 years from the day the asparagus crowns go into manure rich soil until the first stalks appear and the first year may be slim pickings at best.
Are thin asparagus tastier than their chubby cousins? Not necessarily. Thick stalks are a telltale sign of the age of the asparagus plants which can live for up to 10 years. Pencil thin asparagus needs only minimal cooking. And there aretwo schools of thought on whether to peel or not to peel thick stalks. Some cooks like to remove the first outer layer of the lower part of the stalk with a vegetable peeler. Others just break the stalk at its natural bending point without peeling it.
The best asparagus comes from your local farmers market. It will taste so much better than the supermarket counterpart which may have been picked weeks prior, kept refrigerated and arrived in stores tasteless and woody.
Really fresh asparagus has tightly closed tips, is uniform in color and makes a clear snapping sound when bent at the lower end of the stalk.
Asparagus should be on display standing upright in a shallow puddle of water or on chips of ice to prevent it from drying out. And that is how is should be stored at home as well, like a bouquet of flowers in a glass of water. It is best to use asparagus immediately as it does loose some of its flavor if kept too long due to its natural sugars turning to starch.
There are several ways to cook asparagus. A tall, cylindrical asparagus pot is ideal because the stalks can stand upright and steam in a small amount of water; this will preserve its vitamins.Another cooking method is to lay them in a large sauté’ pan, just barely cover them with water, and cook them just until fork tender. Use a skimmer to lift and drain them from the water. A little melted butter and a squirt of lemon juice is all that is needed. Gently tossing asparagus stalks with olive oil and roasting them on a baking sheet or even on the grill gives great taste too. After roasting, sprinkle the spears with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a little coarse sea salt for a gourmet taste. Roll them in sesame seeds for a nice change of pace
Asparagus combines beautifully with eggs in omelets, in soups and risotto and is great with short cuts of pasta. Use it in quiches too, and to top open face sandwiches.
Crunchy Asparagus Spears
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 350F
2-½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-pound fresh asparagus, washed, dried and ends trimmed
½-cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
½-teaspoon salt
¼-cup sesame seeds
Lemon wedges
Pour the olive oil onto a rimmed non-stick baking sheet and spread it with a brush. Add the asparagus in a single layer and turn each one several times to coat them in the oil.
Combine the cheese, salt and sesame seeds on a platter or on a sheet of wax paper. Roll each asparagus spear in the mixture to evenly coat them and place them on the baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake until the asparagus is easily pierced with a knife at its thickest part and they have started to brown. Transfer them to a serving dish and serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe from my latest book, Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy.
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