Perfect asparagus each and every time. No fooling!

Sigh. It’s sad to see such a lovely vegetable - the harbinger of spring salads, soups and finger foods - served tough, overcooked, undercooked, wrinkled, tired looking. It’s almost a crime, considering how darned simple it is to do it right.

Now, in the spirit of complete disclosure, I believe microwave ovens are only good for :

Heating up coffee or soup.

Defrosting some hamburger.

Melting butter.

Warming up my corn kernel heating pad, which I use when the toes are cold in bed at night.

I been there, done that back in the 70’s when nuking everything in the microwave was all the rage. Shoot, I really believed that there must be a way to brown chicken in the damn things. 

Alas, it was just as foolish and delusional as thinking I looked good with oversized glasses, a big perm and shoulder pads. 

Yet, I’ve recently discovered that there is one vegetable that benefits from exactly three - 3 - minutes of high energy in the box. That’s those slender spears of green.

Observe. Imitate.

Clean your spears. Choose the fat ones, never the skinny ones. Thicker is better.

Forget the old ‘snap ‘em off’ idea. A nice, clean cut. Take off about 2 inches.

Peel. Yes, take off most of the peel - which is the bitter part.

Line up the soldiers on a double thickness of paper toweling.

Dust with salt, pepper, any herbs you wish (lemon thyme!). Drizzle with olive oil.

Roll them up.

Now spinkle your tidy bundle with tap water. Just moisten the paper. There should NOT be standing water in the microwave proof container or plate.

MICROWAVE ON HIGH FOR 3 - THREE - MINUTES.

Remove the bundle and unroll onto platter. Drizzle with more EVOO or butter.

Al dente. Perfect. C’est tres parfait! 

Now could be the right time - while they are warm - to toss in a light honey mustard viniagrette and chill. Serve on a bed of shredded radicchio, with some shaves of Parmasan. Serve with a nice cold Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc? Why not?

Asparagus pairs very well with:

Ham, shrimp, parmesan, goat cheese, crab, eggs, butter - clarified, brown or regular, anchovies, hollandaise sauce, mayonnaise, oysters, marscapone, salmon, prosciutto or lean smoked ham.

Artichokes, beets, capers, leeks, peas, peppers, carrots, potatoes, turnips, ramps, shallots, tomatoes.

Bay leaf, basil, caraway seeds, cayenne, chervil, chives, dill or dill pollen, lemon thyme, truffle oil, mustard, tarragon.

Bon appetit, cherie!

So Fresh, Vegan, Whole-Grain and Healthy

Oh, and did I forget to mention that it’s fast? Really, there’s nothing about this side dish that won’t appeal to everybody. Even better, you can substitute veggies, add nuts and still come up with a winner.

I’ve pretty much quit microwaving vegetables. It just makes them come out overdone and horrid. Instead, I bring out my old Black & Decker steamer. I really do mean old, as in nearly 20 years I’ve had the thing. It still produces just right, tender veggies that - given a quick toss in a saute pan with fresh herbs, oil and a bit of sea salt - are just as fast as microwaving yet far, far better.

Steaming just seems to retain the healthful color, shape, texture and flavor that microwaving doesn’t. I’m careful to cut the various vegetables in approximately the same size so they cook evenly. Tonight, I had some butternut squash and asparagus that needed to be used up. Hmmmm. Then how to combine that with some whole grain, sprouted corn tortillas?

I set the butternut squash and aparagus to steaming (for about 10 minutes), then when it was within a couple minutes of ready, I sauteed the strips of corn tortillas and fresh herbs in grapeseed oil with sea salt and pepper. I tossed in the veggies as the herbs and tortilla strips were nearly crispy, just to warm them through and coat with herbs and oil

It was totally great, served along side leftover hearty red chili, accompanied with a mixed green salad. Had the chili been vegan, then it would easily have satisfied the vegan/gluten intolerant/lactose intolerant among us. I could have added steamed broccoli florets, red bell pepper strips, toasted pine nuts for a bit more oomph.

The fresh herbs were the real star here. I used loads of fresh sage leaves, several sprigs of thyme, and rosemary - having striped the thyme and rosemary leaves from the stems. It really made it smell heavenly! A dash of red chili flakes would have also worked.

Get your steamer back out and forgetabout the microwave. Treat your veggies better.

-maven

Springtime Meatball Soup

As I told you in the previous post, this is asparagus season. Since the veal and asparagus soup was such a success, I tried to ramp it up a bit more with chicken fennel meatballs, and the addition of artichoke hearts.

I rather like the artichoke dip that you see at parties these days. It’s garlicky and has that light lemony taste. That flavor combination was what I had in mind when I was developing this soup. I always have a couple cans of water packed artichoke hearts and bottoms in the pantry.

Again, I’m using the Williams-Sonoma veal and chicken stock bases. I really suggest having them in your refrigerator. They add a wonderful depth and complexity of flavor.

I served this for company, and it was a total hit. We drained the pot. I served it with a salad of mixed greens, mango, tomato, onion and my homemade lemon-olive oil-agave nectar vinaigrette  and a crusty bread.

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Veal and Asparagus Soup

The markets are chock-a-block full of nice asparagus at this time of year, and it’s oh so hard to resist it. Having bought a couple of big bundles the other day, I wanted something different than the usual steamed or grilled whole stalk.

Soup seemed like a reasonable answer, and the unsettled - even windy and snowy - springtime weather here in northern Nevada seemed to agree.

I keep several half pound packages of ground meat in the freezer at all times, pork, chicken, beef and veal. The butchers at Whole Foods don’t seem to mind making these up for me, and if affords an incredible amount of convenience and flexibility that enable me to say ‘yes’ to the culinary whim.

With those packages, I can do meatballs, meatloaf, soups, sauces like Bolognese, lasagna and more. This is something that I recommend that you try. It doesn’t take long to defrost a half pound of ground meat on a weeknight, and you’re not left with wondering what to do with a much larger leftover amount of meat. In that sense, it’s also economical.

Lately, I’ve been trying to refine my skill in making clear, broth soups, since they are so nice and light for the coming warmer months - and they’re lighter on the waistline, too. I’m very pleased with the results.

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