Roasted Asparagus
The between
season of Candlemas was wet and the long winter
before that is a memory, but in these first
days of spring, the city
garden awakens. Frilled heads of dill
and fragrant spears of mint have sent their first stems, while youthful watercress
has already yielded its first harvest. The California laurel has shed its old
growth in a shower of leaves all over the patio, with pale green shoots already
taking their place along the branches, strengthening in each day’s sunshine.
Handsbreadths of palm
and curling arms of ivy
are opening wide to cradle new growth. The ravens
and crows have returned, sending out crass alarms to reclaim familiar
territory. This year they are joined by a family of blue jays nesting in a
lemon tree, trilling their delight at spring’s arrival. Amidst new growth by
turns riotous and tender, mystical, delicate
snails plod along, unperturbed by anything but their laser-like focus on
the chomping surface of a lettuce
leaf set out to distract them from the herbs
further down the rock wall. Before we know it, it will be time to wash down the
rock and the cement, but for now we don’t disturb the city garden. It is
awakening from the yawns of infancy in a cycle older than time.
Likewise in its early years,
our area of West
Hollywood was farmland just a century ago, primarily Christmas trees. The
street names themselves speak of it: Poinsettia,
Fountain, Romaine. Just down the street, the Monday Farmer’s Market provides
fresh produce for our citified country fields, in support of small farms from
as far north as Santa
Maria. Later in the season, pints of Gaviota
strawberries will be destined for the canning
bath, but for now they fill the fruit bowl on the California breakfast table.
Heads
of lettuce beckon, recently plucked from the Santa Barbara foothills known
as America’s
Salad Bowl. There are bright blooms of gladioli and cages of dusky wisteria
from Santa Maria’s famous flower fields, and earthy excavations from the mushroom
caves along the Ventura coastline. Through it all, the air is perfumed by lemon
blossoms, which anyone who’s experienced it will tell you is the sure sign of springtime
in Los Angeles.
Asparagus is one of the
first vegetables
to appear at the market. Early spring asparagus is delicate and somewhat fancy,
belying its history at the American table as a delicacy. Asparagus is a common
crop in Europe and Asia, where it has been used as a medical and culinary herb
since antiquity. It is common in jumbled dishes such as stir-fries,
fricassees, and ragouts.
It can be marinated and served as a cold antipasto,
or sautéed
and tossed with pasta. But early spring asparagus shines on its own, and
that is my favorite time and way to serve it.
Choosing and preparing
asparagus is not as complicated as one often hears. Most people will choose
pencil asparagus over thicker stalks, but that is truly a matter of personal
choice: it is not the circumference of an asparagus stalk that determines
whether it is tough, it is age. I like to use pencil asparagus as an
ingredient, but thicker spears as a side dish. Each spear of asparagus will
naturally break at the point where the green stalk discolors to white, red, or
pink. Break each stalk accordingly and store asparagus, standing upright, in a
glass filled one quarter with water until ready to prepare; no more than two
days.
Asparagus is best eaten the
day it is harvested,
but that’s difficult to achieve unless you know or are an asparagus gardener.
When at the market, choose asparagus that is intense medium green and gives off
a fresh version of that distinctive asparagus odor without being overly pungent
or, worse, absent odor at all. Asparagus should be displayed in bunches bundled
tightly with a rubber band or with twine, standing in cool water that does not
display fungal growth or an off odor. Once harvested, the bottom of a bunch of
asparagus should be calloused (not soft) from a flat, uniform cut, discolored
to red, pink, or dirty white. However far the discoloration reaches up the
stem, that’s how old the asparagus has gotten since harvest. That combined with
odor, color, and overall sense of freshness will tell you which bunch of
asparagus to buy. Never buy or eat asparagus that is in flower or is bearing
fruit – in fact, don’t even touch it.
Asparagus is versatile for
cooking but my favorite way to serve it is roasted or grilled as a side dish.
Basic roasted asparagus is delicious adorned with no more than salt and freshly
ground black pepper. I am normally not one for gilding the lily, but as
asparagus is both stalwart and fancy, it can withstand a bit of grandeur, so I
am also including three ways to dress roasted asparagus. Once you master the
technique for roasting asparagus, you will find that this dish speaks to you of
spring as surely as do lemon
blossoms and birdsong.
Roasted Asparagus
If you wish to roast the
asparagus on the grill, treat it as any other vegetable: be prepared to use a
veggie- or grill pan, and cook the asparagus just until chewy and nicely
charred. Do not use any asparagus that has gone to flower or fruit.
1 – 2 bunches fresh asparagus,
chosen, prepared, and stored as above
2 – 3 stems fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
Rock- or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Brush the inside of a large glass or ceramic baking dish with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle the oil with salt and several grindings of fresh black pepper.
- Remove the bunch of asparagus from the water glass. Remove any bindings from the bunch, and quickly inspect each spear to ensure that none has gone to flower or fruit. Discard any asparagus that is unusable.
- Place a layer of asparagus spears along the prepared surface of the baking dish so that the spears lay nicely together without being crowded. Drizzle the layer with extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of salt, several grindings of fresh black pepper, and some freshly stripped thyme leaves.
- Repeat step 4 above until you have used all of the asparagus and thyme leaves.
- Place the dish in the oven. Roast the asparagus until fragrant and nicely charred, approximately 10 minutes for pencil asparagus, approximately 15 minutes for thicker spears. Check the asparagus at 5 minute intervals, safely using tongs to turn it if it is not cooking evenly.
- Once the asparagus is nicely charred and chewy, safely remove the dish from the oven. Safely transfer the asparagus to a serving platter, dressing with one of the methods below if desired.
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon
and Leeks
Chop one or two trimmed,
cleaned and degritted leeks into quarters lengthwise and add the prepared leeks
to the asparagus in the roasting pan. Prepare and roast as above. Transfer the
roasted asparagus and leeks to a serving platter, and drizzle with fresh lemon
juice and a final sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper before serving.
Roasted Asparagus with
Parmesan and Garlic
Peel, pith, and safely cut 2
– 3 cloves garlic into slices. Add the garlic to the pan along with the olive
oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. After transferring the roasted asparagus and
garlic to a serving platter, top with grated or curled fresh Parmesan.
Roasted Asparagus with Red
Peppers
While the asparagus is
roasting, clean, seed and pith one half of a red bell pepper. Safely cut the
pepper into dice, and sauté the dice in a bit of extra virgin olive oil until
soft and fragrant. After transferring the roasted asparagus to a serving
platter, drizzle the asparagus with balsamic vinegar. Top the drizzled, roasted
asparagus with sautéed red pepper and serve immediately.
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