I Dream of Asparagus
And all the green spring veg!
When the first bright green luscious asparagus hit the market in April I am overjoyed with emotion. Now I know you can get asparagus all year round, but I am a purest, much to my hubby's dismay, asparagus only finds a place at my table in the springtime when I can get it locally grown. The first perfect stalks of sweet and grassy spring asparagus are what get me through the last doldrum days of gloomy winter, a promise of sunshine to come.
This is a repeating them for me these last couple of newsletters, but this winter was a rough one, and going into spring didn’t get any easier with a fourth multi-week-long virus that hit me like a ton of bricks right as spring quarter started at work. But I made it through, with the help of the queen herself asparagus.
I love this stuff…I don’t know if I would say it’s my favorite vegetable, but it is definitely up there. Spring does have my heart for green vegetables to be sure. Asparagus shares this era with the bright, sweet delicious peas, earthy and silky fava beans, tender fresh chickpeas, and the regal artichokes all have a place in my heart. Unlike asparagus peas can be had all year round from the freezer section. One of the few that are frozen at their peak and remain just as vibrant a fresh in frozen format as fresh. Fava beans and chickpeas get a second life as dried, and artichokes are delicious marinated from the can, or frozen. Asparagus needs to be fresh, it needs to be cooked briefly. Overcooked and it turns mushy and stringy, not at all pleasant to eat or to look at for that matter.
I will take asparagus, sauteed, roasted, grilled, as a salad, shaved raw, chilled soup, you name it, I am down. While you can eat it raw if shaved finely, I prefer to kiss it with a hit of heat, just to take off that raw bite. I prefer the texture and it sweetens the grassy green flavor. Late in the season asparagus, and asparagus that has been sitting around too long in your ice box tend to be woody and slightly bitter, but the fresh early spring is the best!
We get it while the eating is good. I have a small patch of purple asparagus in my garden that every year gets overrun by raspberry bushes, or eaten by my goat/dog! He looks like a dog, but acts like a goat! My father-in-law has an amazing asparagus patch in his garden, and I am always sad if we can not make it down before the last go-to seed.
As I mentioned above, asparagus can take many forms on your plate, but in this week's edition of recipes I give you a lively and bright asparagus salad with equal amounts of finely shaved radish, a savory, nutty, and pungent walnut-sherry vinaigrette, creamy, acidic goat cheese studded with luscious black truffles, and smidge of lemon zest and some micro greens if you are feeling bougie. However you make it, eat it while the eating is delicious, and before the offerings come legends away!
Asparagus and Radish Salad with Walnut-Sherry Vinaigrette, Black Truffle Goat Cheese
Yield 4 Servings
1 Tablespoon kosher salt for blanching water
1 bunch large to jumbo asparagus, about 1 lb
1 small bunch red radishes
1 tsp olive oil
1 small shallot
½ cup raw whole walnuts
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup sherry vinegar
¼ cup walnut oil
2 oz black truffle goat cheese
Zest of ½ lemon
Optional radish micro greens
Salt and Pepper
Fill a medium saucepan with 1”-2” of water, and bring to a simmer. Season the water with 1 Tablespoon of salt.
Cut the rough ends off of the asparagus, about the bottom 1 ½”. Using a vegetable peeler, peel about ¾ of the way up the stalk of each asparagus to remove the tough outer layer. (This is instead of trimming the asparagus to where it naturally breaks, less waste and more asparagus to enjoy)
Cut each asparagus on the bias into about ¼ inch slices, and leave the tops of the asparagus whole. When the water has come to a gentle simmer, add the asparagus and cook for about 30 seconds just until it has turned a bright green, remove from the water with a slotted spoon to a sheet pan and spread out into a single layer. Allow to cool.
Using a mandolin or a knife, slice the radishes as thin as possible. I like to cut from the top to the tail so you get a full profile of the radish. Slices should be about 1/16” thick. If using a mandolin, use a guard or protective glove to protect your hands, alternatively, using the palm of your hand, press down firmly on the radish and slowly run across the mandolin blade. Be very careful to keep your fingertips up and away from the blade!!!
Once the asparagus has been removed from the blanching water. Dump the water out of the pan and place it back on the burner. Turn the pan on medium and add the olive oil. Mince the shallot and add to the pan, gently cook until the shallot is soft and you can almost see through the pieces, translucent. Roughly chop the walnuts and add those to the pan with the shallots. Gently toast just until starting to turn a golden brown and coated in the oil and shallots. Add in the Dijon mustard and stir, carefully add the sherry vinegar. Don’t get too close as the vinegar can be very astringent to the eyes and throat when it first hits the pan. Cook for just a few seconds, you do not want the vinegar to reduce. Turn the heat off and whisk in the walnut oil, alternatively, you could use extra virgin olive oil.
Toss the sliced asparagus and radish together in a bowl and top with the warm walnut-sherry vinaigrette. Top with lemon zest, dollops of goat cheese, and a sprinkle of micro-greens should you have the constitution! Enjoy