Asparagus, related to lilies, is one of the early crops of spring. Ancient Egyptians were known to cultivate asparagus as early as 3000 BC. It's a great source of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E, and K, and chromium. Chromium is a trace mineral in the human diet that helps insulin work.
Asparagus will stay fresh in your crisper drawer for several days, often a week or more. If you stand the spears up in a coffee cup with an inch of water, they can stay fresh even longer. If the spears become limp or rubbery, they can be refreshed by rolling them up in a damp paper towel and leaving them sit for half an hour or so.
The thinner the spear, the more tender it will be. The bottoms of asparagus spears tend to be more woody than the tips, and tougher to eat. When preparing asparagus, hold it up by the cut end. You'll see it bend at a point an inch or so up the spear. Cut off the part that didn't bend and compost it; you'll be left with the yummy tender parts.
I love the combination of asparagus with citrus. Generally, the spears are either steamed or roasted. After steaming, a little salt and pepper and a squeeze of citrus, and you have a very fast and tasty side. To roast, toss lightly in oil, salt and pepper the spears, and roast at about 425 for 10-12 minutes.
From that base, add complimentary flavors. Thyme always pairs well with lemon, ginger with lime, or clove with orange. For the non-vegetarians out there, bacon makes lots of things better, even asparagus at breakfast. Pancetta does too. Asparagus is also a classic addition to spring pasta dishes, like this one.
It's the eternal debate. The two major schools of thought for coleslaw. The dressing is usually either based on vinegar, or on a mayo or mayo-like sauce. Growing up, my mom always made one based on a creamy Marzetti's dressing. Sorry, mom. When I make coleslaw, I base mine on some kind of vinegar now. Besides the difference in dressing, both types of coleslaw are pretty similar. It involves shredded cabbage, and often some other veggies. Shredding cabbages is pretty simple to do with a good, sharp chef's knife. Quarter the head, leaving the core in place. Start from the top edge, diagonally away from the core. Slice down through the quartered head, thinly, working your way toward the core. The first couple of times, you won't get really thin shreds. But, a little practice and you'll find that it gets better. Or, joining the 21st century, run it though the shredding disc of your food processor. Personally, I'm too lazy to haul it out of the cupboard and then do the extra dishes. So I've gotten lots of practice with my knife. Other veggies that work in coleslaw include sweet peppers. Not just bell peppers, but try a cubanelle or sweet banana pepper and try that with a vinegar-y dressing. Cabbage and peppers appear together in your CSA boxes in the fall. The zip really makes it interesting. Other options include carrots, cucumber, fennel, your Vidalia onions if you have any left, scallions, shallots, avocado (especially yummy in a creamy dressing)... Just remember to either grate or very thinly slice all of it. You then create a dressing, toss your veggies in it, and (this is very important) let it sit in the fridge overnight. Slaw is pretty much always better after the goodies marinate for a while. Stirring in some other additional bits of a different texture really makes it interesting, too. Try toasted pine nuts, raisins or dried cranberries, sesame seeds, or the like. As for that dressing, there are some pre-made options, such as Marzetti or Green Goddess dressings. A little Miracle Whip and some lemon juice works great too. For those on the vinegar-y side, use some sort of vinegar (obviously) like white, cider, malt, white balsamic, or even a more creative acid like lime juice. Add some salt and some sweetener (sugar or honey) and it's dressing. Spices work well in either. As in our previous discussion on spice palettes, pick a region and use complimentary ones. And that's how you ad lib coleslaw. If you'd rather work from a recipe or read some for inspiration, this is my go-to one (the pickled one), but the other ones at the same link are good too. This one is more creamy, using avocados and tomatillos to make a slaw for salmon tacos -- which are really fantastic. This one has a vinegar dressing with dijon mustard. And, as soon as we get fennel in the store, this one is my next one to try. (link requires a subscription to Cooks Illustrated) Happy shredding!
This week’s box features fresh, local kale. Wandering around the store today, I noticed that there were lots of Vidalia onions as well as beautiful white mushrooms.Vidalia onions have a mild, sweet flavor that just screams, “Caramelize
me!”While you can use these in any
recipe that calls for onions, you might want to save these for something where
you can cook them loooooow and sloooooow.A little butter, a small pinch of salt, and a good bit of time over a
medium-low flame turns them into magic.
Don’t crinkle your nose over plain ol’ white mushrooms,
either.Chefs around the world prize
these mushrooms, due to their versatility and flavor.Remember to never wash mushrooms.All
they need is a soft brush to remove any debris on them (a clean paper towel
works well too), and they’re ready to go.Quarter the big ones and halve the small ones, toss them in with your
caramelizing onions, and you’ll have a great side for steaks or topping for
brats.
Kale has become quite the nutritional star lately.It’s a great source of fiber and
vitamins.If you’d like to show off your
skills in the kitchen a bit more, make a frittata.Sounds impressive, right?
Just between you and me, that translates to, “Fancy Italian
omelet.”It sure sounds more impressive
to say frittata, though.Making them is
about as simple as an omelet, too.So,
your mushrooms and onions are done caramelizing, right?The kale goes quicker.First, tear off the leafy part from the firm
stems.You can save the stems for stock,
or even prepare them like a root vegetable.In a hot skillet, add a little olive oil and put in the leaves.Toss them with tongs, and in a minute or two
they’ll wilt.You still want them to be
bright green, so take them out as soon as they do wilt, and mix with your
mushrooms and onions.Now, the omelet
part.It’s meant to be shared, so figure
2 eggs per person and beat them all together.A splash of milk in the eggs makes it fluffy.With a frittata, you beat the eggs until
they’re a little foamy so that it’s lighter.The “fixins,” meaning your kale, mushrooms and onions, are mixed in with
the eggs, too.Don’t forget salt and
pepper.Pour into an oven safe skillet
(a cast iron pan is even better) over medium to medium-high heat and just let it sit.Yes, the bottom and sides will set up
before the top does.When all but the top
has set, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and place under a low broiler until the
top sets.See, now you’re impressing
everyone!
When I told one of my foodie friends what would be in the
box this week, she said, “Oooh, you have to tell them to make Sexy-Time
Pasta!”Pardon me…?Well, here’s the details:
Sexy-Time
Pasta
ingredients:
1-2 tbsp olive
oil
3-6 slices of thick
cut bacon, cut into bite size pieces
(the more bacon you
use, the less olive oil you'll need)
10 oz sliced
mushrooms
1 pint cherry
tomatoes, sliced in half
1 med onion, diced
small
1 bunch of kale or baby
spinach
1 lb short pasta (e.g.,
rotini)
3/4 c. grated Parmesan
(Or more. I love cheese.)
Salt & pepper to
taste
directions:
1) Heat olive oil and
bacon in skillet over medium heat until bacon is golden.
2) Bring a large pot
of salted water to boil. Add pasta and spinach, cook about 3 min until spinach
is vibrant green. Scoop out spinach and rinse under cold water to stop the
cooking. Drain well and set aside. Continue cooking pasta for another 7 min
until almost al dente. When draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
3) Move bacon to
edges of pan and add mushrooms, onions and a pinch of salt to middle of pan, in
as close to a single layer as possible. Turn heat up to medium-high and cook
until mushrooms and onions start sizzling and turning brown (about 5 min). Reduce
heat to medium, add cherry tomatoes and stir bacon and mushrooms together, cooking
until mushrooms are tender. (5-7 min)
4) Reduce heat to
low. Add drained pasta to skillet. Gradually stir in 1 cup of pasta water. Toss
over low heat until sauce is silky and pasta is well coated.
5) Turn off heat. Add
spinach and cheese and season with pepper. Toss well. When serving, sprinkle
more cheese on top. (And then maybe some more. Because really, I love cheese.)
Serve immediately for best results, but can also be served cool as pasta salad.
It’s a variation on pasta
carbonara, with tomatoes instead of the rich egg, and you could easily
merge the two recipes.Yes, I asked her
why it’s called “Sexy-Time” pasta.And
no, she wouldn’t tell me.
Oh,
did you see the cool
trick for slicing cherry tomatoes?What a time saver!
There is no surer sign of spring
turning to summer than when the red tidal wave of strawberries hits. This week we’re getting strawberries! Can you tell
I’m a little excited? Every year, I buy
ridiculously more than I’ll ever need or use.
Why? Do I really need to answer
that? We all (my wife, 5-year-old son,
and I) eat them until we’re pretty much sick.
Let’s just say, during strawberry season, vitamin C intake isn’t a
problem for us.
But when you do have
more than you can use, or in my case way more than you can use, what are your
options? Preserves! I know, I know, everyone’s intimidated about
preserving. I was at first, too. Causing my family a slow, agonizing death by
food poisoning isn’t high on my list of things to do, either. With a little care, and follow the rules,
your jars will fill with deliciousness and not disease. For some basic reading, Ball’s website (they make jars) is
very helpful. There are a number of
fantastic canning blogs around, too. My
favorite is Food In Jars. Lots and lots of good recipes.
First, you need some jars and lids. They’re easier to come by than you
think. You can get them from Amazon, or
two really good local sources are the Ace
Hardware in Old Town and the Shoppers right near Nalls. For fruit preserves, you will mostly want
half-pint jars, but pint jars work as well.
I don’t know about your house, but to eat a quart jar of preserves would
take the three of us forever. I also
like using the Weck jars, which are popular
in Europe. World Market has a good
selection.
Remember that everything needs to be sterilized before putting
food in it, preferably as close to the time you fill them as possible. To do this, the jars need to be completely
submerged in water at a rolling boil for at least 10 minutes. After filling, the jars are sealed by again
immersing them in boiling water. For
most fruit preserves, 10 minutes is enough to seal the jar, but follow the instructions
in the recipe.
My favorite way to make strawberry preserves is a just plain
old-fashioned strawberry jam, with a little vanilla added to it. Here’s
the recipe. (By the way, I bought
the tall pot mentioned in the article and it’s one of the most useful things in
my kitchen!) I always make way more than
we’ll eat, but they make great gifts. My
coworkers really appreciate a little flavor of summer as a Christmas present.
There’s
an old saw that says, “Bakers can’t cook and cooks can’t bake.” In my experience, there are very, very few
who are both talented in and passionate about both. I definitely fall on the cooking side, but I
keep trying and trying. Maybe one decade
I’ll get the hang of baking. But my
strawberries went to make a “strawberry
galette,” which is basically a free-form strawberry tart. It was pretty easy and fantastically
delicious. I guess I just need more
practice in rolling out dough and making it even and circular…
