108. Asparagus, three ways - recipe

Asparagus with egg salad

When I was growing up in Hong Kong, the only asparagus I tasted were the tinned ones. I think they came from France. We used to have asparagus rolls at tea parties. A slice of buttered bread was rolled around a spear of canned yellow asparagus. This was considered very elegant fare!

I can't remember the first time I ate fresh asparagus but I loved it. I was so keen on asparagus I tried to grow them in our garden and dug trenches for them. I put in a lot of work but, alas, I wasn't successful so I had to rely on the farmers for my fix. We eat as much asparagus as we can when it is in season. I also like asparagus as it is so easy to prepare - just snap off the hard ends and rinse under water. Then steam or boil them and top with a bit of dressing or sauce. It is perfect for South Beach Diet meals and very easy to pack for lunch.

Here are two ways to cook asparagus:

Boiling:

I don't see the point of owning an asparagus pot - a tall, narrow pot with a cage for the asparagus (the asparagus is cooked vertically) so I use my all-purpose wok and the asparagus is placed across the pan.

Boil some water in a wok or pan and place the asparagus in the water. Let the water come back to the boil then remove the asparagus and place in a colander.

Note: I don't bother with passing the asparagus under cold water or plunging them in a basin of iced water (I never have enough ice cubes). As the asparagus is cooked for such a short time, I let the asparagus continue cooking while it cools down.

Steaming:

I have this nifty little bamboo steaming rack. I just put the asparagus on the rack over boiling water and steam them for about five minutes. Then remove the asparagus and place in a colander to cool.

Bamboo steaming rack, collapsed, very easy to store

Bamboo steaming rack, opened

The asparagus is ready

Another way to steam is to use a steaming rack - put the asparagus on a heat-proof pie plate and place on on the steaming rack over boiling water. Cover and steam for five minutes.


So what are we doing with the cooked asparagus? We are making three delicious, very easy, quick dishes.

Plain asparagus

There is nothing plain about this taste! Eat the freshly steamed asparagus with a dash of sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper with a squirt of lemon juice. It is springtime on a spear! Very South Beach Diet friendly too!

Asparagus with procuitto

This is a slight variation on the plain asparagus. What you see is what you get. Procuitto is rolled around the cooked asparagus and a bit of lemon pepper is sprinkled over it.

You may use any kind of cold cuts you like. Pre South Beach Diet I would smear lots of Boursin cheese on the cold cuts and then roll them around the asparagus.

Asparagus with egg salad


Ingredients for one serving:

8 cooked asparagus spears
1 hard-boiled egg

Dressing:

A tablespoon of ginger and scallions, finely minced
A pinch of sea salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of vinegar (or whatever oil and vinegar combination you like)

Fried shallots for garnish

Method:

1. Arrange the asparagus on a plate and grate the hard hard-boiled egg over the asparagus
2. Put the dressing in a bowl and stir vigorously together.
3. Pour dressing over asparagus and egg and garnish with fried shallots.
4. Enjoy!
   

This is my entry to the wonderful Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging. This week Joanna from Joanna's Food will be hosting the event.

Kalyn and Joanna both cook delicious, healthy, heart-smart food and we are so lucky that they share their recipes with us. Do join them and all the other food food bloggers for wonderful ideas and recipes to cook herbs and vegetables!