What's Cooking Wednesday - Asparagus Edition!

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So we are in the joyous throws of asparagus season. At the Ann Arbor Farmers Market we can get thick-as-your-thumb asparagus to the most graceful of baby stalks. We can find asparagus in bright green, deep green, white and purple. We can find long bouquets of similar shape and size, nicely portioned into banded bunches, or a whole mess of different lengths and widths spilled onto a table and left to the customer to sort.

We may be having hard times in Michigan these days, but we are asparagus rich.



I love asparagus. I have to admit that D has a lot to do with that. Growing up, asparagus usually meant something from a can or cooked to mush, and the only parts I found edible were the tips. When I met D, asparagus was his favorite vegetable, so I tentatively tried some as we dated. After we were married, I did most of the cooking because I was teaching and home in the late afternoon, and he often wasn't home until 7:00 or later. He requested asparagus and laughed that I didn't know how easy it was to prepare. And it is.

Now that I've tasted truly fresh asparagus, prepared in all sorts of methods and ways, I'm a huge fan. So today, I thought I'd share some favorite preparations.

NOTE: For ALL asparagus preparation, prep asparagus first by breaking off the bottom part, which is woody. This part will snap off naturally. If you buy variegated pieces of asparagus, these will probably already have been snapped off at the woody part, but if they are all pretty and even, you probably still need to snap off the base.

Simple Asparagus - Poaching

1. Rinse similar width pieces of asparagus - two good handfuls. (Okay, I ignore the sizing - I just pull pieces from the water as they're ready, but it's up to you).
2. Heat a saute pan with about 1/2 - 3/4" cold water to boiling.
3. Drop in asparagus. Cook 2 - 5 minutes, depending on how "done" you like your asparagus. Asparagus is al dente ready when it turns bright green.
4. Remove from water with tongs. Place on platter. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt, a drizzle of olive oil, a few grinds of good pepper and some grated sharp cheese (such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Asiago), if desired. Lemon juice and olive oil are a good topping, too. Dijon mustard whisked with olive oil and drizzled over the spears also works. (Serves 2 - 4)

Simple Asparagus - Sauteed
1. Rinse two good fistfuls of asparagus and cut into 1 - 2" pieces.
2. Heat 1/2 TBS olive oil in a saute pan over medium to medium high heat.
3. Slice 2 good-sized cloves of garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so, until garlic smell is released.
4. Throw asparagus into the pan. Saute 2 - 4 minutes until asparagus turns bright green. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and grate a little bit of nutmeg and/or cheese over all. Serve.
(Serves 2 - 4)

Simple Asparagus - Roasted
1. Preheat oven to 450. If you have a convection oven, set it to the "roast" setting.
Place the oven rack in the upper third of the oven.
2. Rinse two good handfuls of asparagus and place them in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt and drizzle olive oil over them (you shouldn't need more than a teaspoon or so of the olive oil). Toss them with your hands, to spread the olive oil.
3. Roast for 5 - 20 minutes. Now... here's the thing. If you want them al dente (so to speak), 5 - 10 minutes will do the trick. This is what I did for the salad below. If you want them sweet and caramelized and crispy and almost orgasmic, keep going to 20, stirring occasionally. They will look shriveled coming out of the oven, but the flavor will be amazing. Sprinkle with pepper.
(Serves 2 - 4)

Simple Asparagus - Grilled
1. Fire up the grill.
2. Rinse those two good handfuls of asparagus and pat dry. Drizzle with olive oil and slather so the oil is distributed.
3. As other things are cooking on the grill, throw on the asparagus during the last 5 - 10 minutes. Again, bright green is al dente, and you can go for crisp and browned and shriveled, as in roasted. For grilled asparagus, I still add the salt and pepper at the end, but I also like a drizzle (and I do mean a drizzle) of balsamic vinegar.

Asparagus and Pasta

Ingredients:
1 recipe of Simple Asparagus - Sauteed, with the olive oil increased to 1 TBS
4 oz. fettucine or farfalle or other flat-ish pasta
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese or equivalent


1. Make a batch of Simple Asparagus - Sauteed, increasing the olive oil to a full TBS, and set aside.
2. Cook 1/4 lb. fettucine or farfalle or some other flat-ish pasta according to directions. Before draining, ladle some pasta water into the saute pan with the asparagus and garlic, and bring back to burner, setting heat on medium high.
3. Drain and rinse pasta and toss in with asparagus mixture.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste and add in 1/8 cup grated parmesan. Stir together for about 2 - 3 minutes until everything is well blended and the cheese is melted.
5. Split into bowls and serve with the rest of the cheese, a fresh salad and maybe some bread. This is very simple, but delicious when asparagus is in season!

Serves 2


Asparagus-Goat Cheese Fritatta

Ingredients:
1 recipe of Simple Asparagus - Sauteed, with the olive oil increased to 1 TBS
8 eggs
1/2 cup fresh basil, torn or chopped
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp sea salt
2 oz. soft goat cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Beat 4 eggs and 4 egg whites, and then stir in a 1/2 cup of fresh basil, torn or chopped, and 1/2 tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp sea salt. Set aside.
3. Make a batch of Simple Asparagus - Sauteed, but make sure to use an oven-proof skillet, and use a full TBS of olive oil this time.
4. After asparagus is bright green, pour in egg mixture and stir a bit - not scrambling the eggs, but helping them to set.
5. As eggs start to set, crumble goat cheese on top - scatter over surface of frittata.
6. Place skillet in oven and cook 10 minutes.
7. Cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 3 - 4

Jen's Kinda-Sorta Asparagus Nicoise Salad



Ingredients:

For the salad:
1 - 2 lbs. new potatoes
1 recipe Simple Asparagus - Roasted
3 small tomatoes
3 slices of cooked bacon, or cook while other things are boiling/in the oven
2 eggs
2 TBS capers packed in water

For the vinaigrette:
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 TBS red wine vinegar
2 TBS reduced fat mayonnaise
1 - 2 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS dijon mustard
1 TBS chopped, fresh dill

1. Preheat oven to 450, and set the oven rack to the top third of the oven.
2. Scrub 1 - 2 lbs. of small new potatoes and place them, along with 3 eggs, in a pot of cold water just covering everything. Bring to a boil, then cook until potatoes are fork tender (about 20 minutes).
3. While potatoes are cooking, prepare a batch of Simple Asparagus - Roasted.
4. While asparagus is in the oven, cook up 3 slices of bacon, preferably thick-sliced and local.
5. Chop 3 small tomatoes into large chunks.
6. Prepare vinaigrette. Simply whisk together all ingredients until a smooth dressing is formed.
7. Remove potatoes from water when they are fork tender, and rinse potatoes and eggs with cold water. Leave eggs, in shells, in cold water until ready.
8. Remove asparagus from oven and set aside to cool.
9. Cut potatoes in halves or quarters (large, bite-sized pieces), and toss with vinaigrette.
10. Chop asparagus into bite-sized pieces, and add, along with tomatoes, to potatoes. Toss.
11. Peel and slice eggs, crumble the bacon and add to the top of the salad. Sprinkle 2 TBS of capers packed in water over all.

Serves 2 - 3 for dinner or 6 as a side.