Asparagus: Spring's signature stalky veggie

A guest post from Katie Ricketts, community / market organizer at Southland Farmers' Market Association.

With the onset of spring, you're guaranteed to find one slinky, skinny, stalky vitamin-packed vegetable.  In fact, California-grown asparagus is the signature start to California springtime produce. Of course, you've probably been pushing your cart past small bunches of asparagus since Christmas at the grocery store, but California asparagus (especially if it's from a local producer and picked at maturity) cooked well is something different than the nuked-by-microwave limp stalks that were often served to us as kids.

Not sold yet? I appeal then on taste, nutrition, and historical importance.  First, high in fiber, folic acid, and potassium, asparagus is used in a variety of cultures and cooking styles. Stir-fried in Asian food, boiled and paired with butter, hollandaise or olive oil in the French-style, asparagus lends itself to a variety of textures and combinations.

For all those foodies and socially conscious eaters concerned about the plight of small farmers, Media that Matters put out a great little short "A Stalk-umentary"  on the US asparagus industry that's both entertaining and insightful.

And now, for a bit of inspiration.... Michael Kuntz, someone who works very closely with me on the Santa Monica Market Basket Program, (you can listen to our interview on KCRW's The Market Report here) cued me towards this great Shiitake Asparagus he devised:

Shiitake-Asparagus Risotto

Making risotto is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy.  Despite thoughts of risotto being too complex or time consuming, adventurous cooks need only good quality ingredients and strong resolve to stay with their pan for 30 -45 minutes.Feel free to use this recipe as a template for experimentation.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
1/4 c. olive oil
1 large bunch of asparagus (about 1lb and cut into 1/4 inch rounds)
1/4 lb of shiitake mushrooms (remove stems from caps and cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
1 small onion, diced
Salt/pepper to taste
1 1/2 c. Arborio
1/2 c. dry white wine
5 c. vegetable / chicken stock
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese grated Juice and rind of one small lemon

While preparing your ingredients, bring your 5 cups of stock to a simmer in a large pot.  You'll want to keep the stock at a low simmer throughout the cooking process.  In another heavy-bottomed, 4-quart sauce pan, heat oil and 2 tbsp butter. Saute asparagus and mushrooms over medium heat for about four minutes or until they soften. Remove about 3/4 of them and set aside for later use. Add onion, salt, and pepper and saute until translucent.

Note that risotto is cooked by continually adding moisture/stock slowly, as opposed to regular rice which is cooked in a pot of water right from the start. Add the Aborio rice to the pan with the butter and onions and stir gently until moisture is absorbed. Then add in white wine, again stirring until absorbed (generally about 3 minutes). When you pass the stir spoon across the bottom of the pan and space remains, then is the time to add more stock. Do this until the rice softens to the consistency of al dente pasta. Should you run out of stock, add warm water.  When the risotto is done, add the remaining butter, lemon, cooked vegetables, and top off with Parmesan cheese. Make sure risotto flows freely by adding another ladle of stock right at the end.  Divide into bowls and enjoy!

Need more ideas? I've had great luck with both the Asparagus Parmesan Soup and Tahini-Asparagus Rice Bowl.

Photo by Liz via Flickr

Comments

[Kate]

I love asparagus, although I have yet to find a soup with it that didn't have a problematic texture. My mom always used to wash it, break it into bite-size pieces, and then saute it for about 3 minutes in butter and finish with bread crumbs. Easy and delicious.

[Veggie]

I had never tried asparagus until a few years ago, and never had a desire to. At a wedding, I was ravenous and had eaten everything on my plate except for the asparagus. I eyeballed it with suspicion, but I really WAS hungry, and it was a few hours yet until the cake. And so began the love affair!

Only down side is the, um...well, asparagus smells lovely while cooking, but not so much when passed through the ol' human filter...

[tannaz]

i made this risotto last night, substituting creminis for the shiitakes. delish! i did need a lot more than just 5 cups broth, but other than that, it's a perfect spring recipe.