Spring Sensation

Looking for an offbeat vegetable dish for your outdoor-kitchen meals this spring? How about serving racks of asparagus?

It's pretty simple. Just blanch some spears of jumbo asparagus, lay out a row of six or seven and spear the spears across the row, about 2 inches from the top and 2 inches from the bottom, with bamboo skewers. Brush them with a vinaigrette of 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of your choice of herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Grill the racks for two to three minutes on a side, brush with extra vinaigrette and serve. (For detailed recipe, see www.calasparagus.com.)

The racks -- simple to prepare, and sufficiently unadorned to show off the natural goodness of the asparagus -- are typical of the vegetable's versatility, said Cherie Watte Angulo, executive director of the California Asparagus Commission. Angulo noted that asparagus can be used in every course and case imaginable, from fritattas for breakfast to focaccia sandwiches for lunch to elaborate entrees to pizza for the kids.

This is prime time for asparagus -- the season for the main California crop extends through May, with a small amount harvested in September and October -- and this year's crop will be a good one, Angulo predicted.

"It's actually a little cold, which means we're not getting any major damage from fast growth," she said. "It's really a slow, easy season. There's plenty of supply out there, but it's a really good quality."

Angulo said the asparagus grown in California is of the thicker variety. She conceded that conventional wisdom has held, for at least a couple of decades, that thinner spears are the best -- the most flavorful and tender. But she said that's not the case.

"The larger asparagus is actually more tender," she said. "It has less carbohydrate; the thinner is stringier and has more fiber. The bigger spears are typically from younger plants and earlier in the season. Varieties in California tend to push out more of the thicker spears."

Angulo said white asparagus isn't generally grown in California because of the high labor costs involved. It's more labor-intensive because dirt must be piled up around the spears as they grow, to protect them from the sun's rays and the process of photosynthesis. It's actually identical to green -- or would be, without the circumventing of Mother Nature. It's particularly popular in Europe, she said, which might partially explain why it's beloved of David Werly, executive chef at Le Cirque at Bellagio and a native of Alsace, France.

"It just reminds me of my family and my dad," he said. "My dad was crazy about white asparagus."

Another part of the allure, Werly said, is that white asparagus has such a short season -- from mid-March to mid-May -- and is very delicate. The white asparagus he's currently serving comes from the Netherlands and is $16.50 a pound.

The flavor, Werly said, is "completely different" from green. Morels will be in season soon, and while he said white asparagus pairs well with fish, chicken and various mushrooms, "morels and white asparagus are very nice."

Werly provided a key to quality: The whiter the color, the fresher the white asparagus. As for green asparagus, the commission advises, the greener, the more tender.

And you can grow either variety in Southern Nevada, said Linn Mills, a horticulturist at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve and a Review-Journal columnist.

"It's easy," Mills said. "The only problem is it takes three years" until the first harvest.

The first year, he said, the root is planted. Then the plant has to build energy.

"The next year we'll let you steal a few (spears), but you have to leave the fern on," Mills said of the fernlike tops that develop if the spears are left undisturbed, growing into what he said is a particularly attractive perennial. Developing into a fern, he said, "is what they want to do. But we interfere with that." Around the first of the year, the plant is cut back to the ground and allowed to grow again.

Mills said the root is planted about 6 inches deep and just covered. As it starts to grow the soil is piled on until the spot returns to ground level.

It's not a particularly thirsty plant, he said, but "you need to take care of it like you would your lawn. The root is down low, so you've got to make sure it gets a good drink."

The proper way to harvest is to use an asparagus knife, which is about a foot long with a V-shaped end for cutting the spears below ground level, Mills said.

Angulo, who noted that asparagus is showing up more frequently as a side dish in high-end steakhouses, said it can be cooked several ways. It can be cooked upright, as in an old-fashioned asparagus cooker, but also parboiled on its side in a skillet, sauteed, roasted or grilled.

It's low in calories, very low in sodium, a good source of folic acid, vitamins C and B6 and thiamin, and contains several micronutrients.

Here are some suggestions for enjoying it from the California Asparagus Commission.

 

ASPARAGUS SPRING ROLLS WITH SWEET RED CHILI

DIPPING SAUCE

 

Spring rolls:

1 pound asparagus

1 mango or papaya

2-inch piece of fresh ginger

1/2 red bell pepper

6 to 8 8-inch Vietnamese dried rice-paper spring roll wrappers

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

3/4 cup fresh mint leaves

3/4 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 cup dry roasted, salted peanuts, chopped

 

Dipping sauce:

1/4 cup Asian sweet chili sauce

Juice of 1 lime

Blanch asparagus in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Peel and julienne mango or papaya and ginger. Julienne bell pepper.

Fill a large bowl with hot water. Working with one wrapper at a time, slip rice paper wrapper into water until pliable, about 1 minute. Place wrapper on cutting board. In the center, put 3 to 4 asparagus spears with the tips coming off the end of the wrapper slightly, 3 to 4 mango or papaya slices, 3 to 4 pepper pieces, 3 tablespoons sprouts, 2 tablespoons herbs and a sprinkling of ginger and peanuts.

Roll the wrapper from the bottom up, tightly. Leaving the ends open. Set aside and cover with a damp towel. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

When ready to serve, slice wrappers into 3 segments each and stand upright on a serving platter. Mix chili sauce and lime juice and serve alongside the rolls as a dipping sauce.

Makes 18 to 24.

 

 

THAI GRILLED LAMB AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

 

For the marinade:

1/2 cup peanut oil

1/4 cup honey

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup red chili sauce

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 to 11/2 pounds lamb top round

 

Salad:

1 pound asparagus

1 package rice noodles

Peanut oil for noodles

6 leaves butter lettuce

1/2 cup purple cabbage, finely sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts, chopped

1/2 cup fresh mint, thinly sliced

 

Salad dressing:

Zest and juice of 2 limes

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon red chili paste

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1/3 cup peanut oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend the ingredients for the marinade (except lamb) in a small bowl. Place lamb in larger container, add marinade and marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Remove lamb from marinade. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides. Brown on all sides over a preheated grill. Finish by roasting in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Let lamb rest for 10 minutes before slicing thin.

For the salad: Blanche the asparagus in boiling salted water until tender. Plunge into a bowl of ice water to chill. Drain on paper towels. Cook rice noodles as directed on package. Rinse in cold water to chill. Toss with a few tablespoons of peanut oil to keep from sticking.

For the dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to blend.

To serve, place 1 butter lettuce leaf on a plate. Add a small nest of noodles; top with purple cabbage and red bell pepper. Top with approximately 6 spears of asparagus. Add thinly sliced, room-temperature lamb. Garnish with chopped peanuts and fresh mint. Drizzle with the dressing.

Serves 6.

 

 

CRISPY ASPARAGUS STRAWS

36 asparagus spears

4 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed

1/4 cup butter, melted

4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim ends of asparagus. Blanche asparagus in boiling salted water until lightly tender to the bite, about 3 minutes.

Place one sheet of phyllo on a cutting board. Set aside the remaining sheets; cover with a damp towel. Brush the phyllo sheet with melted butter. Cut the sheet into nine rectangles, two cuts down from the top, two cuts across. Place an asparagus spear at the bottom of the short side of the rectangle with the tip sticking out beyond edge of the dough by 2 inches. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of cheese. Roll up spear and seal with butter. Repeat with remaining spears.

Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, salt and pepper. Cover the exposed asparagus tips with foil. Bake until golden brown and crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 36.

 

SPRINGTIME JUMBO ASPARAGUS SALAD

Vinaigrette:

8 tablespoons olive oil

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon minced parsley

 

Salad:

1 pound jumbo asparagus

1 head of green leaf lettuce, washed and chopped

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

1/4 pound cooked medium-sized shrimp

1 thinly sliced lemon

Mix vinaigrette ingredients and keep in a cool place.

Steam asparagus to appropriate doneness and cool. Place leaf lettuce on plates and add six slices of tomatoes to each plate, placing cooked asparagus between them.

Place 5 to 6 shrimp around asparagus and garnish with lemon slices. When ready to serve, dribble with vinaigrette.

Serves 2.