2012 Update: Tierra Vegetables is the first out of the gate with local asparagus this year. They have it at their Santa Rosa farm stand just east of Highway 101 at the Airport Blvd. off ramp. Don’t expect it to last long.
When I was at Oliver’s Markets this morning, I spotted some on sale for 99 cents a pound. It’s time for a spring feast!
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When you get asparagus that has just been picked, it is delicious raw. My favorite way to enjoy it is to cut it into very thin diagonal slices, add some thinly sliced jamon serrano, a drizzle of my favorite olive oil, Davero, and some freshly ground black pepper. That’s it. It is absolutely delicious and takes just a few minutes to prepare.
Here are some of my other favorite asparagus recipes from the Seasonal Pantry archives. Once you’ve roasted asparagus in the oven, it likely will become your favorite technique. Flavors and textures are intensified and you don’t need to peel it, as you should when you steam or boil it.
Asparagus is a fern. The stalks that we eat poke through the soil in the spring, before the fern's fronds appear. The very best asparagus is almost always the thickest, which are the youngest stalks
Roasted Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Warm Shallot Vinaigrette
Grilled Asparagus with Scrambled Eggs
A Little Salad of Celery, Radishes & Asparagus, with Goat Cheese Cream & Fried Capers
Asparagus with Poached Eggs, Frisee & Bacon
A Sicilian Frittata with Roasted Asparagus
Asparagus & Peas with Spring Herbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano & Rice
Roasted Asparagus with Smoked Trout, Mustard Cream and Arugula
Suzanne Edminster
Michele, I remember living in Freiburg, Germany and driving over the French border in search of white asparagus freshly cut from the farms. Lost in the French country byways, it was always tempting to stop at a roadside farm table for “stink cheese” from the dairy and a glass of wine. You could buy aspargus in fresh bundles from the old ladies who still spoke a French/German dialect. Back in Germany it would be served with fresh Hollandaise, with new potatoes and ham slices on the side. Best with a Reisling or one of the German Sekt sparkling wines… mmmm
April 8th, 2011 5:24 pm
mille stelle
Thank you, Michele! We love asparagus but I have never really felt that I knew how to deal with them to best advantage. Now I plan to roast them and try many of your yummy recipes – probably starting with the Sicilian Fritatta and then the Asparagus & Lemon Risotto. I’m so grateful to you for demystifying this noble and elusive spring veggie. Brava!!!
April 8th, 2011 10:28 pm
Morne Brits
Asparagus is not a fern. It is a member of the Lily-familie. The mature growth is merely fern-like.
September 4th, 2012 10:23 pm
MicheleAnna.Jordan
You are absolutely correct, Morne. I misspoke, as so many of us do when we discuss the asparagus. We’re blinded by those tall fern-like growths, I suppose. Thanks for the correction.
September 6th, 2012 11:00 am