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Thursday, May. 14, 2009

Asparagus: New recipes help avoid boredom

As each new season of produce starts, cooks prefer simplicity: the fresh stalk of asparagus, the cluster of strawberries, the ear of corn or handful of blueberries. What could be better than the true essence of freshness? Cooks don’t need to do much to enhance what is already perfect.

That holds true for the first few weeks of whatever is fresh. But after too many meals with the same ingredient, even the most seasonal cook pauses at the stovetop, then looks for a variation.

That’s how I am with asparagus.

I wait all ­winter for those first stalks to ­arrive, my ­preference being the skinny ones, which are plentiful early on. Then I eat them for too many meals: steamed, or occasionally roasted (tossed in olive oil and later ­sprinkled with salt or ­Parmesan), sometimes tossed with a little pasta or cooked in a stir-fry.

Delightful as those dishes are, I need variety. So I look for more ways to use up this harbinger of spring before it’s gone and I move onto the next seasonal vegetable. (Don’t even get me started on the silliness of eating “fresh” asparagus in fall or winter.)

As I do with most ­vegetables, I often turn to soup as an option. ­Asparagus soup shouts “green” and “spring” all in the same taste. If you make your own ­vegetable stock for the ­asparagus soup, you can use a stalk or two of asparagus for extra flavor.

Or turn asparagus into a brunch dish with poached eggs and Parmesan sauce. If you’re looking for salad ­options, mix citrus vinaigrette with oranges and asparagus. The options are limitless.

Kentucky’s asparagus crop is in top condition because of frequent rains and cooler weather, asparagus grower Jennifer Gleason said.

“However, the cool weather does slow down the growth and production.”

Peggy Parker of May’s Lick planted three acres of ­asparagus three years ago, and her first crop is ready for ­harvest. She will have ­asparagus at this weekend’s May’s Lick Asparagus ­Festival, which offers fresh ­asparagus from local farmers, and soups and ­desserts made with asparagus.

Recipes

A note about this soup recipe: Many asparagus soup recipes call for cream. I left it out because it seemed like a lot of unnecessary calories, but add some if that’s your preference. Make the soup the day it will be used, or the green gets quite dark. Use a non-reactive pan (not aluminum) for the soup preparation. It should have a stainless or ceramic interior.

Asparagus soup 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 tablespoon butter

2 pounds fresh asparagus

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)

About 5 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

5 cups vegetable stock or chicken broth

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and white pepper

Sour cream, for garnish

In a soup pot, sauté onion in butter until translucent; do not brown. Break off woody ends of asparagus and ­discard. Cut off tips of asparagus and reserve. Cut remaining asparagus in 2-inch pieces. Add asparagus, potatoes, parsley, stock and lemon juice to pot with onion. Simmer until ­vegetables are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Let broth cool slightly. Purée the soup in a food mill, food processor or blender. (Unless it’s an immersion blender, fill a blender less than half full or it will ­“explode” when the hot liquid is puréed.)

If you prefer the soup completely smooth, put it through a fine strainer; however, a few small bits of vegetable in the purée add a nice texture. Return the purée to the pot to rewarm; season to taste with salt and pepper.

For garnish, slice the reserved asparagus tips in half lengthwise (this makes them lighter so they won’t sink into the soup). Drop the asparagus tips in a pot of boiling water for 1½ minutes or until just tender. Drain. (This step can be done in advance.)

To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with a dab of sour cream (or thin sour cream with a little milk and drizzle it on the soup). Top with asparagus tips. Makes 6 servings. Variation: Add ½ cup or more of cream to the soup before serving and heat throughout.