Asparagus Recipes

One of the earliest and most celebrated of spring vegetables in the Upper Midwest, asparagus pokes its green crowns out of the ground a month as the soil warms in late April and early May. Asparagus is one of the first vegetables available at Farmer’s Markets is nutrionally balanced, providing folic acid, potassium, fiber, thiamin and vitamins A, B6 and C. 

Storage
Trim the base of the stalks and place them upright in a jar filled with an inch of water. Or, wrap the cut ends of the stalks in a moist paper towel or damp tea towel, cover the bundle loosely in plastic, and put it in the refrigerator, preferably the crisper. You can refrigerate asparagus for up to two weeks with minimal issues.

We have found that asparagus freezes well.  We cut the spears into two inch long sections, lightly roast them and then put them on pans that we place into the freezer.  Once the spears are frozen, we just scoop them into freezer bags until we are ready to eat them later in the year.

Handling
When you are ready to use fresh asparagus, take a sharp knife and gently test the ends of the asparagus.  Cut off where the stalk is no longer tough.  Even the tougher ends are good to eat if they are peeled.  Some people like to eat asparagus raw.

Standard Preparation Options

Our favorite preparation options include grilling, roasting and stir-frying asparagus.  

With grilling and roasting, we tend to coat the asparagus with olive oil and whatever spicing we want.  Often, it is just a little bit of sea salt.  Others might put Parmesan cheese, pepper, garlic and/or lemon juice.  It's your meal, spice it as you see fit!

If you are roasting, try temperatures around 425 degrees Fahrenheit for ten to fifteen minutes depending on how tender you want your asparagus to be.  If we are grilling asparagus, we tend to like the thicker spears and we put them straight on the grill until a fork easily goes into them.

With a stir fry, we will often put mushrooms in with the asparagus as an extra treat.  We do tend to be "Hobbit-like" in this regard.  As an extra treat, we've added some fresh spinach and lightly wilted that with this mixture (add the spinach just before the mushrooms and asparagus are completely cooked).

You can also boil asparagus in hot water and serve as a 'steamed' vegetable.  Standard asparagus is done when you have a very bright green coloration.  For those with good "sniffers," you can also determine when asparagus is ready by smell. 

Asparagus and White Bean Salad with Feta and Lemon Dressing
Serves 4

1 pound asparagus, cut on an angle in 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooked or canned white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

1. Place the asparagus in a steamer basket set over 1 1/2 inches boiling water, and cover. Steam until the spears are tender-firm, 4 to 7 minutes depending on thickness. Drain and place in an ice water bath (or under cold, running water) for a moment to stop the cooking.

2. Put the olive oil, lemon juice, fresh mint, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Drain asparagus.

3. Combine the beans, feta, radishes, and scallions in a large bowl. Add the asparagus pieces. Pour on the dressing and gently toss. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Pureed Asparagus on Toasted Bread
1 lb asparagus
1 lemon (or 1/4 c lemon juice)
1/2 cup Ricotta (light works well)
1 clove garlic
1Tb Olive Oil
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 baguette
olive oil or butter for baguette
salt and pepper to taste

Boil water and cook asparagus for just a few minutes until it turns bright green. You can test a piece if you are unsure it should be a little crunchy still but definitely taste cooked. Once the asparagus is cooked to your liking, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain the water and let dry. Chop the asparagus into pieces (which can be done at the beginning too) and add to food processor. Add the garlic, ricotta, lemon juice, salt, pepper, mustard and puree until smooth. (we skipped the mustard and added either a little more chili powder or 1/8 tsp cumin)

Butter bread- or you could use more olive oil here in place of the butter and broil for probably 2 minutes, watch it closely so it doesn’t burn. Then spread the puree on bread and eat.