Asparagus

Preparation

1. Asparagus Risotto

   Step 1

   Cook the onion in the oil in a saucepan until the onion’s soft. Add the garlic and stir in. Add the rice and stir it over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat up the stock. Pour the heated stock into the rice (it’ll sizzle a lot at first). Add the cut-up asparagus stalks (not the tips), stir it all together, lower the heat, and cook white rice for 15 minutes or brown rice for 30 minutes. Then add the asparagus tips, Parmesan, and cream and continue to cook until the rice is tender. Taste and add salt as needed.

2. Asparagus Timbale

   Step 2

   Preheat the oven to 300°F. Sauté the onions in the butter in a skillet for 5 minutes. Put them in a large bowl. Add the salt, nutmeg, pepper, cheese, and half of the bread crumbs. Beat in the eggs. Bring the milk to a boil and stir into the mixture. Mash the asparagus into the liquid with a fork or potato masher until the asparagus is in small chunks. Grease a 2-quart mold or baking dish and coat it with the remaining bread crumbs. Pour the asparagus mixture into the dish. Put that dish into a larger pan on the bottom rack of your oven. Fill the outer pan halfway with boiling water. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

3. Sesame Asparagus Salad

   Step 3

   Cut up the chilled asparagus and combine it with the lettuce and red peppers. Dress with a mixture of 1 part lemon juice to 2 parts canola oil. Add a dash of soy sauce. Cover with about 1/4 cup sesame seeds that have been toasted in a 350°F oven on a baking sheet for 5 minutes.

4. Bland

   Step 4

   Add bouillon to the cooking water next time. For now, sprinkle the asparagus with ground mustard seed or toasted sesame oil (along with some sesame seeds)—or use seasoned salt, or flavored butter, or tamari soy sauce. Or toss with chopped toasted nuts (almonds or hazelnuts are particularly good).

5. Frozen to the box

   Step 5

   Run a bit of cold tap water into the spaces in the carton; the asparagus should loosen up at once.

6. Not enough

   Step 6

   Not a problem. Asparagus displays beautifully in small quantities. If you’re serving a special dinner, arrange the spears in a bunch or hold them in the middle and fan out the tips and bottoms. Tie the middle of the bunch together with a vegetable ribbon (a thin ribbon of cabbage, lettuce, red bell pepper, chives, or scallion—even a shaving of carrot will do) and arrange gracefully. If you’re feeding family, make the following recipe.

7. Old

   Step 7

   Add a pinch of sugar (for sweetness) and 1/4 teaspoon salt (to help retain color and flavor) to each 1 cup of cooking water.

8. Overcooked

   Step 8

   Easy answer—make soup. The very simplest way to do this would be to take a can of cream of anything soup, prepare it, chop up the overcooked asparagus, and combine it with the soup. No canned soup or want something a bit more homemade tasting? Make a cream sauce. (Any general cookbook—or the Internet—will have a simple recipe.) Chop up the tips of the asparagus and put them aside. Purée the rest of the asparagus stems in your food processor or blender. Add the white sauce. Put this lovely glop into a saucepan over low heat. Thin to the desired consistency with stock or bouillon and add the reserved chopped tips. Hoping to keep your heart healthy? Forgo the cream sauce. Purée the asparagus with broth and thicken as needed with potato flakes.

   Step 9

   The following recipe is not only great for using up overcooked asparagus, it’s a tasty main course.

9. Thawed

   Step 10

   See Appendix B regarding frozen food that has thawed before you are ready for it.

10. Too much

    Step 11

    It freezes well. Blanch spears in boiling water for 2 to 4 minutes (depending on their thickness), plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking, drain, dry, and freeze in freezer bags. Or cook it all, refrigerate it, and use some the next day. It works beautifully chopped up in a quiche or frittata