Food Friday: Asparagus!

Spring has sprung, and one of the first harbingers of the joyous season of renewal is the deliciousness that is asparagus. Maybe you are the hardy sort who plants it, or you are like the rest of us, and you are a very loyal consumer. Either way, it’s time. Get out there and plant, or go out and buy a big, verdant bunch of super fresh asparagus.

Just to let you know what sort of household I live in – my children thought that pickles were green, leafy vegetables. It was difficult to get them to eat anything exotic (read: healthy) from the produce section. I have never been a big fan of stinky, cooked vegetables either, so they must come by it naturally. It wasn’t until I went to college that I finally ate a cooked pea. Mostly because there was no one in the dining hall who would accommodate my eating peccadillos. I drew the line at stewed Brussels sprouts that were served; talk about stinky!

I still don’t like vegetables that have been stewed beyond recognition. (As I also resist kale on principal. Along with tofu, veal, offal and tripe.) Aren’t we lucky there are so many ways to enjoy asparagus? Lightly roasted, gently steamed, broiled, wrapped with bacon, folded into pasta, trembling on the edge of ancestral china, lightly dusted with grated egg yolks, rolled in sesame seeds, on top of pizza, in a quiche… Asparagus might not be quite as versatile as the potato, but you can bake it, grill it, stir fry it, roast it, steam it, or toss it into a salad.

How about some tasty asparagus tips in your eggs on Sunday morning? Don’t feel like a big dinner production? Get out a baking sheet and fire up the broiler. In a few minutes, with a judicious drizzling of olive oil, a fistful of salt, and a quick squeeze of lemon, you have an elegant dish that you can eat with your fingers out on the back porch as you count the first fireflies of the season.

The Crown and Saltburn gave us glimpses of the posh life in Britain. Did you know that unless the asparagus is served with sauce, it is only polite to eat it with your fingers? Even King Charles eats it that way. According to the Times and Debrett’s: “Asparagus is always eaten with the left hand and never with a knife and fork.” It is a fun fact to know just when you are getting ready for the first picnic of the season. The Times on Asparagus

This might be too messy to eat with your fingers, but it is worth a try: Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Tarragon Tart I love the fact that there is no shame in using a store-bought puff pastry – life is short and pastry can be tricky.

Look at this lovely asparagus salad! It is a vision of springtime with radishes, peas, asparagus, spring onions, and mint leaves. Asparagus Salad

Here are three different ways to cook asparagus

Mass quantities of farm-fresh spring fruits and vegetables are ready for you to gobble up: The farmers’ market has been a delight! (The St. Michaels Farmers Market opens for the season next week: SMFM )

Have you seen the heaps of asparagus at the grocery store? Holy smokes. We need to have a spargelfest like they do in Germany. Spargelfest It sounds more crowded than visiting tulips in Holland, or braving the beer-loving folks in Germany at Oktoberfest.

Enjoy springtime!

“Are you casting asparagus on my cooking?”
– Curly Howard