Asparagus

While we're sitting stranded at home, asparagus spears are popping up through thawed ground. These messengers for Spring are tonic food, meaning the energy they generate to push up through hard ground goes into us. We can use that energy to push onward too. Plus asparagus has hard to find folic acid, Vitamin K and potassium that we can definitely use. So take advantage of what's going to be asparagus season. Unless you have gout: then stay away.

Asparagus still sprouts in Thomas Jefferson's garden

Usually 14 spears make a pound. That makes about 3 servings if you're just putting out spears on a plate. It makes 4-5 servings if you're chopping the spears into a dish with more ingredients. 

Asparagus is more versatile than you think. You can eat it raw in salads, plain steamed or deliciously roasted, cut into a creamy tart (which I would make if I weren't quarantined and didn't have creme fraiche and heavy cream on hand) or a fritatta with leeks and lemon, or boiled and served Polish style whole under chopped egg and breadcrumbs. Here are a few other ideas, including pickling it as a way to enjoy it later in the year.

Asparagus escabeche

Escabeche is the classic Iberian method of cooking something quickly in something acidic (lemon juice, lime juice,vinegar) and then  serving it hot or cold. (Yes, it is related to the Latin American ceviche.) Usually an escabeche is fish or meat, but here asparagus gets the treatment and is more delicious for it. Hot from the pan or cold the next day, it can be addictive. This is a very fast recipe that makes a dish perfect for vegetarians and vegans and the gluten-free.

serves 4-6
 

3-4 tbsp olive oil (enough to cover bottom or large sauté pan
2 bunches med thick asparagus, cut into 4" lengths
1 sm leek, white part only, cleaned and thinly sliced into disks
5 lg garlic cloves or spring garlic bulbs, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
8 whole small dried red chilies
1 tsp dried thyme or 4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only and chopped
1/2 c dry sherry
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
 

In a large flat sauté pan, heat the olive oil and asparagus together over low heat, moving the spears around to coat them. Once the asparagus is sizzling, add leek and garlic, salt and pepper. Gently sauté over med/low heat until leek softens, 4-5 min. Add chilies and thyme. Increase heat to high. Add sherry and vinegar. Boil on high to reduce liquid to a few thick tbsp, 5-7 min. Stir in the parsley and serve.   
Asparagus bread pudding

I included this unusual recipe in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking. It's a gift to vegetarians looking for something special, but it can also dress up a meal of quickly sauteed chops or roasted meat.       
Serves 8-10

1 ½ lbs fresh asparagus 
1 tsp olive oil 
1 medium leek, cleaned 
1 tsp dried thyme leaves 
4 tbsp unsalted butter 
2 oz Gruyere cheese 
1 ½ cups half and half 
3 extra large or jumbo eggs, separated 
¼ tsp salt 
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper (more to your taste) 
2 cups freshly made breadcrumbs (from 3-4 slices firm white bread ground in a food processor)  
1 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest

 
Preheat oven to 450º.
Cut the bottom inch off the asparagus stalks and cut the remaining stalks in four equal pieces. Line a shallow roasting dish, or large toaster pan tray with foil and put the asparagus pieces on it. Coat with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 12 minutes at 450º. Remove from oven.

Reduce oven heat to 350º. Butter an 8” square baking pan or round cake pan, whatever you have.

Dice the leek. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat and add the leek and thyme. Sauté on medium low heat until leeks are soft, 3-5 minutes.

Pour half and half into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer (bubbles at the pot edge). While waiting, put the cheese into a food processor bowl and chop it. Add the roasted asparagus to the bowl. With the machine running, pour in the warm half and half. Do not overprocess. Add the remaining butter and one egg yolk at a time, processing with the pulse button to incorporate the three. Add the leeks from the sauté pan and salt and pepper. Add the breadcrumbs and quickly process just to blend.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold them and the lemon zest into the asparagus mixture. Optionally: sprinkle on top 1/8 tsp smoked paprika and 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg. Pour into the baking pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan and pour into that pan enough water to reach halfway up the sides of the pudding pan.

Bake in the center of the oven at 350º for 40-50 minutes, depending on whether you use convection or not, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and serve warm.

Roasted asparagus

This is my lazy method for just enjoying asparagus. I roast it in the toaster oven, keep it in the fridge and munch spears whenever. Or I add a few to a dinner plate or an omelet plate for lunch. The method is basically the same for all roasted vegetables but this last time I used some lemon infused olive oil I had from Italy and the effect was sensational. So I am suggesting you use some if you have it and if you don't, try grating a bit of lemon zest over the spears before they roast. 

I can't give an exact recipe for this, just these thoughts:
Heat your oven to 450º.
1 bunch asparagus, cut the tough bottoms off each stem about 1/2" up. Rinse and dry the spears. Lay them flat on a roasting sheet: I line my toaster oven pan with aluminum foil and recommend this even for the bigger oven baking sheet if you use that. 

In a small bowl combine about 3 tbsp olive oil with 1 tsp sea salt and a grind of fresh black pepper. Here's where you can add 1 tsp lemon zest too.  Sprinkle this all over the asparagus, remembering that oil conducts heat into the spears and salt brings out their juices. If you need more, make more. No worries.

Roast the spears at 450º about 15 minutes or until they are soft and starting to look toasty. How long this really takes depends entirely on the thickness of the spears. It could take only 12 minutes or it could take 20 or even a few more.  

I wrap the spears I don't eat right away in that foil they roasted on and store in the fridge.  
         

Asparagus revuelto

Here is asparagus in a breakfast brunch egg dish from Spain. Revuelto meants "scrambled." This recipe is also a way to get best use out of yesterday's bread. 


Olive oil 
2  garlic cloves peeled, plus 1/2 tsp minced garlic 
2 c bread cubes 1/2" square, made with day-old bread 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
2 oz Spanish chorizo, diced 
1 1/2 lbs thin asparagus, cut in 1 1 1/2" lengths 
1 bunch scallions, chopped 
8 large eggs, beaten 
1/2 tsp paprika 
2 tbsp roughly chopped flat leaf parsley


Put 3 tbsp olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add peeled garlic cloves and let them sizzle until lightly browned, then remove. Add bread cubes, season with salt and pepper, lower heat to medium and gently fry until lightly browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove bread and set aside to cool.  Add chorizo and fry lightly. Add asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry until cooked through but firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Add green onions and minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Break and whisk the eggs with salt, pepper and paprika. Pour into pan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, just until soft and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add parsley and serve immediately, topped with the fried bread cubes.



Himalayan style asparagus

This is sometimes called a "curry" because it's made with spices and tomatoes.  Potatoes too--all traditional curry ingredients in Nepal. There this dish would probably be part of a meal that included rice, dal, chutney and one more vegetable.

serves 4-6

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends off and washed 
3 small (new) potatoes, scrubbed 
1 med. onion, peeled 
2 med. tomatoes or 1/2 c boxed or canned chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp. cooking oil (not olive) 
½ tsp. fenugreek seeds 
½ tsp. tumeric 
½ tsp. ground coriander 
1 tbsp. ginger/garlic paste 
½ tsp. salt

 
Cut the asparagus into 2” pieces. Coarsely chop the onion. Slice the potatoes into thin disks. Chop the tomatoes finely.
Heat oil in medium size saucepan. Fry fenugreek seeds until they turn brown. Add onion and fry until it’s soft and translucent. Add potatoes and stir to blend. Add tumeric, salt and coriander. Add the asparagus and mix well while stir-frying. After 2-3 minutes, add the ginger/garlic paste and tomatoes. You can also add ¼ cup of water if you think this will burn for lack of liquid. Cover and cook on medium heat about 8-10

minutes or until asparagus is tender.

Asparagus salad with cheese and mint 

 asparagus ribbons for salad

Get out the carrot peeler for this one. And try to buy thicker stalks. or if you get stuck with thicker stalks, this is what you can do. The recipe calls for using a peeler to scrape out ribbons of asparagus and strips of cheese. It calls for a salad but I'm thinking you could also put both of these strips into the lemon risotto I posted a few weeks back for a whole new delicious dish. 

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends removed
 2 1/2 oz  pecorino or parmesan or Manchego cheese
1/2 bunch fresh mint leaves, no stems
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse and dry the asparagus spears. With a peeler, cut them lengthwise into ribbons as best you can.  Then cut the cheese into ribbons also. Put everything in a medium serving bowl. 

Chop the mint leaves and add to the bowl, stirring to blend. 
Season everything with salt and pepper to your taste.
Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice.  Drizzle this over the asparagus salad and serve.  
 
Pickled asparagus

 And finally, this is how you can have great cocktail or picnic food later this summer or for Thanksgiving.  It requires canning jars.

2 lbs. asparagus spears 
6 lg garlic cloves, halved and smashed 
1 tsp red pepper flakes 
1 dill head or 2 tbsp dill seed 
2½ cups white vinegar 
2½ cups water 
¼ cup kosher salt (not regular salt) 
3 1 qt canning jars with lids

Sterilize jars in boiling water.

Cut woody bottoms from spears and cut spears into 4” lengths (slightly shorter than the jar height). Put 4 garlic halves in each jar. Evenly divide pepper flakes and dill between each jar. Fill jars tightly with upright spears, mixing bottom and top halves as you go.

In a large saucepan, combine water, vinegar and salt. Stir to dissolve salt and bring to a full boil. Ladle into jars while boiling, filling to ¼” of the top. Shake jars to remove air bubbles. Seal jars. Put back in boiling water 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Listen for the lids to “pop” so you know the jars are securely sealed. Cool. Store in the pantry. Store opened jars in the refrigerator.