I have some very strong opinions when it comes to asparagus. I never rush to buy the early skinny asparagus. It is very weak in flavour. I’m patient and wait until the thicker stalks start appearing at the stores. These spears are sweeter and I find that the flesh is more tender.
If I’m not using the asparagus on the day I buy it, I place the bunch in a jar filled with about an inch or two of cold water, so that the ends do not dry out in the fridge. I cover the bunch loosely with a plastic bag.
There are some sources out there that will tell you that the best way to trim asparagus is the “bend and snap” technique, where you hold a piece horizontally and bend it, and it will just break off where it needs to. The problem with this method is that it depends on where and how much force you put into the bending. The results are wildly inconsistent and you end up wasting a lot of good asparagus.
I like to line up the asparagus on a cutting board and just cut off the bottom inch or so, where the green colour begins to fade to white, and the texture is a bit tougher. Then, I like to take my favourite vegetable peeler and gently peel the skin from the bottom half of each spear, to expose the lighter green and white flesh under the peel. It makes for a more aesthetically pleasing presentation (all about pretty food here) and, it is more tender to eat.
For an asparagus salad, I like to simply boil or steam the asparagus for about 2-3 minutes. Then I plunge them into ice water to set the green colour and stop the cooking.
Eggs and asparagus are a beautiful flavour pairing. Watch as the salad comes together. in this video.
This dressing would also be very delicious on broccoli, green beans or on my newest obsession, little gem lettuce. I love the texture of the grated hard boiled eggs, mixed right into the dressing. Cornichon pickles and capers really punch up the flavour and chopped pistachios add salt and crunch. It’s a perfect lunch salad.
The Panzanella salad was created in Tuscany as a way to use up stale bread. The classic version is traditionally made in summer. It includes chunks of stale bread and tomatoes, sometimes, onions and basil, simply dressed with olive oil and vinegar.
It is customary to soak the bread, as I discovered on a trip to the Amalfi coast a few years ago. I also discovered that the time honoured panzanella salad is not my jam. I really dislike the texture of the soaked bread. I prefer my stale bread with a bit of crunch.
This is my springtime take on the typical panzanella salad. It’s not prime tomato time yet, so I focused on spring produce. I have included a recipe at the end of the post, but there are no rules. Feel free to improvise and use what looks good to you.
I started with one of the first signs of spring, pea shoots. These are the sweet, curly, tender leaves and stems of the pea plant. Pea shoots have a subtle pea flavor and a light and crunchy texture. They are becoming more readily available. if you can’t find them, arugula or watercress would be a good substitute. If you can find fresh peas, they would add a perfect pop to this salad. Sugar snap peas are a good alternative. Asparagus is a natural choice for this salad. Although I said there are no rules, I do have two fundamental edicts. Please don’t buy those flavourless skinny-ass pencil asparagus. And, please peel the bottom 2 inches of the stalk once you have trimmed the woody end off. It’s how I was trained. It’s a small detail that adds a bit of finesse and style to your salad.
Up next are radishes. Regular radishes add a bit of heat to the salad.
If you can find watermelon radishes, buy a few. They are larger than regular radishes and kind of gnarly looking on the outside.
But slice one open, and you will be smitten by that gorgeous magenta interior. They are milder than regular radishes and make any salad seem luxe. And, because I refuse to believe that #putaneggonit is over, top the salad with a jammy (seven minute) egg.
Clearly no local asparagus was harmed in the making of this soup. I had to rely on Mexico’s finest. I used leeks instead of onions as my allium choice. I prefer their gentler flavour profile for this soup. Sautee leeks and a touch of garlic. I opted for vegetable stock over chicken as I really wanted to let the flavours of the vegetables to shine through. Frozen peas are perfect for this. Puree the soup in the blender. After that, I am asking you, very nicely, to please strain the soup through a wire mesh sieve. Asparagus is a very fibrous vegetable. Straining it will give you the most velvety texture. I made some toasted breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top of the soup, I love a bit of crunch with smooth soups. When you are cutting up the asparagus, save the tips. Blanch them in boiling water and use them as a pretty garnish. A drizzle of cream or some really fruity extra-virgin olive oil is a beautiful way to finish this soup.
As parents, I believe one of our most important jobs is to create memories for our children. Certain aromas or sounds can instantly evoke specific memories or feelings. It only takes a shake of Ajax cleansing powder and a squirt of Joy dishwashing liquid to transport me right back to the kitchen of my childhood. The combo of Ajax and Joy was my mom’s special recipe for disinfecting the sink after dinner each night. The scent was sinus clearing and most certainly responsible for the loss of a few brain cells. But we had the shiniest sinks in the neighbourhood.
If you were to ask my children, undoubtedly, they would tell you that the annoying whir of my cobalt blue Braun immersion blender was the soundtrack to their childhood. Each morning, they were roused from a deep sleep to the sound of their mom frothing milk for her morning latte. (This was before Nespresso machines with milk frother attachments) No need for alarm clocks in our house.
I hope that I have created other memories for my children, that were perhaps a bit more pleasant.Last weekend was the start of cottage season and we had a full house. My youngest son was there as well as my daughter and 3 of her friends. A few days earlier the girls had decided that they wanted to eat healthy for the weekend, so I was instructed to please not bake anything tempting. I made this salad for our lunch on Friday. It was met with rave reviews. It’s not really a grain salad, as the farro only plays a supporting role. The real star of this salad are the fat spears of sweet asparagus, charred to perfection on the outside but still maintaining a bit of crunch in the center.
The inspiration for this recipe came from Melissa Clark, over at www.cooking.nytimes.com. She roasted the asparagus in the oven, but I wanted to officially start grilling season. I like fat spears of asparagus and I peel the bottom third of each spear because that’s how I was taught to do it at my very first restaurant job.The dressing for the salad packs a flavour punch. Lime juice, garlic, soy sauce and olive oil are whisked together and mixed with the cooked farro. This is a great make ahead salad as the farro can sit in the dressing for several hours. The asparagus and green onion can sit for about 30 minutes before serving. I decided on a bed of peppery arugula and bitter radicchio. Toss the farro with the salad greens and top with the grilled vegetables. Using a vegetable peeler, shave thin shards of Parmesan cheese over the top of this salad.
Once local asparagus shows up, you know that flip flops and a chilled glass of rosé can’t be too far behind. This tart is a splendid way to showcase asparagus, Post-Asparagus Stinky-Urine Disorder, be damned.Mild, milky ricotta is the ideal partner for asparagus. They complement each other perfectly. Ricotta can be a bit bland, so I added lemon zest, lemon juice and red pepper flakes to ramp up the flavour. Some grated Gruyere cheese and a beaten egg add some heft to the filling.
For the dough, I decided to use Kim Boyce’s Rustic Rye Dough, from her book Good to the Grain. The hearty rye dough stands up quite well against asparagus’ strong flavour.
This dough takes a bit of time and needs several hours to chill. If you don’t have the time or the inclination, I think that this tart would still be very delicious using my go-to simple Galette Dough.Rye flour, all purpose flour sugar and salt are sifted. Cold butter is worked in with your hands. Ice water and cider vinegar bring it all together.Once the dough comes together, let it rest in the fridge for about an hour, then roll it into a rectangle, and fold the rectangle into thirds, like a letter. This is similar to the process of making puff pastry. The dough gets rolled and folded two more times and is then chilled for an additional hour. You can make the dough and the filling components a day ahead and then just assemble and bake before you are ready to eat. I decided to roll the dough into a rectangular shaped tart, but feel free to to roll it into a circle. I have a strong aesthetic sense and I prefer the linear way the asparagus line up in a rectangular tart.
To punch up the flavour profile even more, I spread the tart with a pistachio pesto (recipe from Anna Jones’ A Modern Way to Cook.) Whole grain dijon mustard or a jarred basil pesto would be good substitutes.The border of the tart just gets folded over the filling. No need to be too precise or precious about it. It’s supposed to be rustic. This would be great as a light lunch or dinner, or cut up into smaller squares and served for aperitivo with a freezing cold glass of Prosecco, on the dock. (I have big plans for this tart!)
When a chef takes a humble ingredient, like the carrot, and makes it sublime, I pay attention. My first carrot experience created by Chef Michelle Bernstein, was 5 years ago, at The Omphoy Hotel in Palm Beach. I was visiting my friend Marla and we went to a killer barre class at the hotel’s Exhale Spa. After class we hobbled over to the restaurant for breakfast.
Once we ordered our poached eggs, the waiter delivered a basket of hot biscuits and house made carrot marmalade to the table. He said we must try the marmalade, and because our mammas raised us right, just to be polite, we ate all the biscuits and asked for a second ramekin of the carrot marmalade. I still have no idea what was in it or how they got it to taste so good. but I think about it often.
My second Michelle Bernstein carrot experience was last month in Miami. I was in town for my nephew’s wedding. We had a spare night so we went to dinner at her Biscayne Blvd. restaurant Cena. I started with the roasted carrots topped with whipped sardinian ricotta and dukkah. Once again, her wizardry with carrots dazzled me. Sadly, I just heard the restaurant closed on May 31.
Dukkah is a Middle Eastern nut and spice mix. I have written about it before, a few years ago. One of my favourite ways to eat it is to dip pita in olive oil and then do a second dunk into the dukkah. A very satisfying and addictive little bite. It had never occurred to me to sprinkle dukkah on vegetables, but it totally works.
Fat spears of asparagus got my attention at the market so I abandoned all plans of roasted carrots. You gotta go with what looks good that day. I decided on a pistachio based dukkah, but feel free to use any nut you like. Sesame seeds, fennel, cumin and coriander seeds add fragrant deliciousness. Seeds and nuts are toasted and then coarsely ground in the food processor.
When spring finally arrives, most people don’t normally turn to braising as a cooking method. But you guys don’t read this blog because I’m like most people. I promise I will hustle out to the BBQ very soon, but this braised spring chicken recipe really deserves your attention now. Mindy Fox created this recipe for epicurious.com. I adapted it slightly.
I decided on using boneless skinless thighs for this to hasten the cooking time. Feel free to use bone-in thighs or breasts if that’s how you roll. Just promise me you won’t select boneless breasts. They are not meant for braising. I treated the thighs to a generous seasoning of ground fennel seeds, paprika, salt and pepper.After an initial browning, the thighs are simmered gently in white wine and chicken stock. The proper technique is to have the chicken pieces only halfway submerged in the braising liquid. Don’t drown them.
Leeks are thinly sliced and slowly sautéed until meltingly tender. Fat spears of asparagus and green peas pretty much shout “SPRING”. I used frozen peas because fresh are still a few weeks away for us here in Ottawa. Mini yellow, red and purple potatoes seemed like a good idea so I invited them to this spring fête as well!The braising liquid gets reduced and treated to a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Scatter chopped dill and lemon zest over everything and celebrate spring.
I promise that this asparagus post (unlike my previous one) will not offend anyone by mentioning any bodily functions, so feel safe to read on. This post is all about the unabashed joy of celebrating all things green this spring.
The classic panzanella salad originated in Tuscany. It was a way to use up stale bread and highlight tomatoes at the pinnacle of their summertime glory. Often onions, cucumber and basil are added. The texture of the bread in traditional panzanella is not supposed to be crunchy or chewy or crusty like croutons. If you have ever eaten this salad in Italy, you will recall that the bread is light, a bit wet, airy, just short of mushy. I was shocked when I had it a few years ago on the Amalfi Coast, and to be frank, was less than enthused. It sort of had the texture of fluffy torn-up matzoh balls. There is a very fine line between lightly moistened and unpleasantly soggy. Although I love the classics, in my panzanella salad, I want the bread to have a bit of chew and crunch.
The inspiration for this spring panzanella came from Chef Michael Symon. Asparagus and green peas get top billing in this version of panzanella. Out of season tomatoes need not apply for entry into this salad. Like Michael, I grilled my asparagus, but I also shaved a few raw spears with my vegetable peeler to get some fresh crunch.I used a half a loaf of Ciabatta bread I had in the freezer. I thawed it and then tore it into chunks, rather than cutting it into neat cubes. Tearing it gives a more rustic appearance and all those craggy surfaces have a better chance of soaking up the flavourful dressing.
If fresh peas in a pod are available where you live, go ahead and indulge. I used frozen peas since we are at least a month away from fresh here. I really love frozen peas. It seems to be a family thing. My daughter used to eat frozen peas as her afternoon snack every day when she was about 4 years old. Peas are one of the few vegetables that are actually better frozen. Unless you have green-peas growing in your backyard or access to a Farmer’s Market, you really are better off buying frozen. Cook’s Illustrated explains why this is so:
“Fresh peas have very little stamina. They lose a substantial portion of their nutrients within 24 hours of being picked This rapid deterioration is the reason for the starchy, bland flavor of most “fresh” peas found at the grocery store. These not-so-fresh peas might be several days old, depending on where they came from and how long they were kept in the cooler. Frozen peas, on the other hand, are picked, cleaned, sorted, and frozen within several hours of harvest, which helps to preserve their delicate sugars and flavours “
I finished the salad off with some crumbled Ricotta Salata cheese (a firm ricotta). If you can’t find it, Feta would work just as well. Ricotta salata is a sheep’s milk cheese that has been pressed, dried and salted. It has a dense, slightly spongy texture and fresh milky flavour.
A quick dressing is made with garlic, dijon, sherry or red wine vinegar and olive oil. Fresh chopped mint gets sprinkled over the whole dish. This is a delicious addictive salad. I was home alone the day I made this and polished off the entire platter after photographing it. The contrast of the soft grilled asparagus was really wonderful against the crunch of the fresh shaved raw asparagus ribbons. The peas, barely cooked gave a great pop of green brightness. I mixed everything together and let the salad sit for at least 20 minutes. By the time I ate it the croutons had time to soak up the dressing and they were chewy but still just a bit crunchy. Perfect.
I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc with this salad. Asparagus is quite difficult to pair with wine, as certain chemicals in asparagus can make your wine taste vegetal, grassy, or just plain rotten. A crisp and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect match. I am currently crushing on New Zealand Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc. It has a juicy acidity and crisp finish that pairs perfectly with this salad.
If you are curious about learning more regarding food and wine pairings, check out Natalie MacLean’s Great Canadian Wine Match. Natalie is a certified sommelier and was named the World’s Best Wine Writer at the World Food Media Awards.
This is the first People’s Choice Competition for Canadian food and wine pairings. A real on-line battle of the bottles! The search for Canada’s best wine and food pairings launched on May 8. Wine drinkers from coast to coast are rallying behind their favourite Canadian pairings in this first grassroots, “bottoms up” competition.
Wine lovers can nominate and vote for their favourite Canadian wines as pairings in six Canadian food categories: cheese, chicken, beef, seafood, pizza and dessert. Voting ends May 20 when the top five wines in each category move to the showdown finalist phase. Wines from each region in Canada will vie to be named the best wine with a particular Canadian dish.
“This is a coast to coast toast to celebrate our own wine and food ,” says MacLean. “I think we can all drink to that.”
It’s entirely possible that I may be jumping the gun a bit by writing about asparagus during the end of April. Here in Ottawa we will not be seeing any local crops until mid-May at the earliest. However, given the winter that we recently crawled out of, I hope I can be forgiven for buying California asparagus at Costco last week. I could not wait any longer.
Perhaps like you, I have a love hate relationship with asparagus. I love it when I eat it, but not so much about 15 minutes later when I pee. Up until recently it was believed that everybodys urine has that pungent aroma after eating asparagus, but not everyone can smell it.
It should be noted that the effect of asparagus on urine odour has been around for several hundred years. Apparently one British men’s club is said to have put up a sign reading, “During the asparagus season, members are requested not to relieve themselves in the hat stand.” I would have hoped that men would always have the good sense to never relieve themselves in the hat stand, but perhaps that’s just asking too much of that gender.
More recent scientific studies on what I like to call “The Great Asparagus Pee Mystery” (yes folks, there are some freaky scientists out there actually studying it) have now theorized that there are really two factors at play here; the ability to produce the aroma and the ability to detect the aroma. Both are determined by genetics.
Let’s deal first with the ability to produce the aroma. Asparagus contains a sulphurous compound called mercaptan. Enzymes in your digestive system break down the mercaptan and certain by-products are released that cause the offensive odour. But, here’s where it gets interesting. Not everyone has the gene for that enzyme. If you are part of the 54% of the population whose DNA lacks the gene for this enzyme, then you will not produce smelly urine after eating asparagus.
Now, what about the ability to detect the aroma? It has been theorized that depending on your DNA, you may or may not have the olfactory receptors to detect the scent. Some of us are “super-smellers” and others are just “smell-blind” when it comes to asparagus pee.
To simplify things I have created a chart!
If you are one of those with a malfunctioning olfactory sense, I envy you. Although looking on the bright side, when I am old and my memory is failing, I will always be able to remember that I had asparagus for dinner!
A word to the wise should you happen to find yourself at the Spargelfest (Asparagus festival) in Beelitzer Germany or any of these other Asparagus Festivals, this spring. If you are a super smeller, you may want to hold your breath when you enter the bathroom stalls!
The fact that I am a stinker and a smeller does not hold me back from eating asparagus when it is in season. One of my favourite ways to enjoy it is to simply steam it and serve it with poached eggs. I love to dip the spears into the runny golden egg yolk. Last week, I served the poached eggs on top of Rösti potatoes, with the asparagus dippers on the side. A perfect spring dinner!Rösti potatoes, also known as shredded potato cake, is not the same thing as latkes. Latkes are made with shredded raw potatoes, whereas Rösti are made with shredded par-boiled potatoes. Yukon Gold or Idaho potatoes are perfect for this dish.
Once the potatoes are parboiled, they should be allowed to chill in the fridge for several hours, or even up to a day, before they are peeled and shredded. This is the secret to getting the a crispy golden crust on the outside of the potato cake and having a fluffy and tender inside.The shredded potato is mixed with some salt and pepper and gets pressed into a hot cast iron skillet, with a little bit of both butter and vegetable oil.Patience is required here. Turn the heat down to medium low and let it get brown. This will take at least 15 minutes. When the underside is brown, flip the cake out into a large plate, browned side up. Add more oil and butter to the pan and slide the cake back into the pan, pale side down. Brown the second side.
While the Rösti potato cake is cooking, steam or boil asparagus and poach eggs. If you are at all intimidated about making poached eggs, please know that you are not alone, and there is help. Serious Eats posted a fool-proof method for poaching eggs, that is really quite genius, and actually works! Click on the link above to view the video if you are planning top poach eggs.
Tonight’s dinner was inspired by a long ago and almost forgotten memory. My daughter is spending the year travelling the globe and early this morning she texted me from Berlin. “Apparently it’s white asparagus season here. It lasts for 3 weeks then goes away. It’s a big deal. Thought you’d like to know.” Believe me, I know what a big deal white asparagus is!
I was so traumatized by white asparagus that I am unable to eat or prepare it ever again. In between my first and second year of culinary school I worked at a restaurant in Toronto called Orso. I was the garde manger chef. Garde manger means “keeper of the food”. In short, I was the salad and cold appetizer chef. It is an entry level position. The executive chef was named Helmut, an school stern German chef. Kind of scary. One of my jobs was to peel the white asparagus stalks. I was givena peeler and set to work. Everytime I tried to peel them, the stalks would snap in half. The chef kept yelling at me that these were very rare and expensive asparagus and they were only available for a few weeks every year. I brought in my colorful peelersfrom home which were way easier to use. But the chef yelled at me for using the wrong peeler. I was never so happy to see white asparagus season come and go!
In case you were wondering, how white asparagus differs from the more common green variety, here’s the explanation. White asparagus comes from the process of etiolation, which is the deprivation of light. While the asparagus grows, farmers mound earth uparound the beds to keep the vegetable completely covered. This prevents any contact with sunlight, which would trigger the process of photosynthesis, and thus stimulate the production of chlorophyll, the pigment that lends plant matter its characteristic green colour.
Needless to say, I do not eat white asparagus. But I love green asparagus. (aside from the effect it has on the aroma of your pee!) I had bought a beautiful big bunch of it at the market yesterday and was planning to have it for dinner. I also had a loaf of Tuscan breadin my freezer from last week. Tuscan bread contains no salt so it needs very flavourful food to accompany it. I found inspiration from Chef Massimo Capra’s Asparagus Milanese French Toast. My flavourless tuscan bread was the perfect loaf for this savory dish, although challah or a white hearty country bread would be great as well.
Asparagus Milanese on French Toast
Adapted from Chef Massimo Capra
1 bunch green asparagus
3 tbsp butter
5 eggs
4 tbsp Parmigiano, grated
4 slices bread
1/2 cup milk
Salt & pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Break the ends off the asparagus and peel the stocks if desired. (I never do if they are fresh and young). Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add asparagus. Boil uncovered for 2-3 minutes. Drain and immediately rinse under very cold water. Set aside.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in large frying pan. Prepare the French toast: Mix 1 egg with the milk and season to taste. Dredge each slice of bread into the mixture and sauté in a frying pan with until golden. Set French toast aside in a large Pyrex baking dish.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in large frying pan. Fry 4 eggs, sunny side up, gently remove from pan and set aside.
5. Top each slice of French toast with several spears of asparagus. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese over asparagus. Top asparagus spears with fried eggs and sprinkle more parmesan cheese over the eggs. Place Pyrex baking dish in preheated oven for 3-4 minutes, just until cheese melts. Serve immediately.
