Asparagus with Parmesan Crumbles

Looking for a way to dress up some roasted asparagus?  This is a nice little ditty. It has all of those important components:  delicious, pretty, local seasonal asparagus.  This dish started with some good luck:  I got the last two bunches of the good stuff from the Arata farm stand, leaving the tub empty.

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger on The Food Network.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices whole-wheat bread, crusts removed
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2-ounce (1/4 cup) freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch pepper
• 2 pounds asparagus, washed, ends snapped off

Directions:

1.  Pulse the bread in the bowl of a food processor until it becomes fine crumbs. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat pan over medium-high heat until hot. Lower heat to medium, add bread crumbs to the skillet and toast, tossing often, until crumbs are golden brown and toasted, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

2.  Grate eggs medium microplane grater, omitting one of the yolks. Combine the egg, bread crumbs, parsley, cheese, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl and toss to combine.

3.  Grill the asparagus until firm, but tender, about 4 to 6 minutes, turning once.

4.  Arrange asparagus on a serving platter and top with Parmesan-Egg Crumb Topping.

Notes:

• The original recipe called for just one egg, but the yolk to whites ratio just didn’t work for me, hence the whites from a second egg.
• We only used about half of the topping on our asparagus, and it was plenty.
• I’d make this again for guests, but for our family dinners, simply grilling that lovely asparagus with a bit of olive oil and kosher salt still rules the day!

The Strawberries are Here!

The most beautiful red strawberries are now available!  Chan’s on Walnut Blvd has strawberries at their road side stand, or go right on into their field for a U-Pick hey day.  They also sell some lovely herbs and red onions that they grow at the end of each row of strawberries.

The stand at the corner of Highway 4 and J4 is also open.  Yahoo!  They must have a business name, but in these parts we simple call it “the strawberry stand on the corner.”  Clever, eh?  Last year they added a smallish garden with various veggies and some blackberry vines.  In less than a year, those vines have grown over 6 feet.  Oh, it is going to be a berry good season!

The Potato Salad

Oh Easter!  While ham is the traditional center piece of the traditional family meal, we take the opportunity to pig out in our own way.  See, at this house, warm weather, a celebratory day, and some time for lingering and hanging out lake side means just one thing:  ribs!  These are not your boil then bake ribs, nor your grill and add some bottled sauce at the end ribs.  Oh no.  These are the gently prepped and rubbed with secret spices the day before, then smoked low and slow on the smoker for at least 4 hours with the patience of Job, while gently misting mop sauce on the works of art.  Yes, those ribs.  And I was to make the sides.

Unlike Thanksgiving, which is all about the sides, this was all about the ribs.  Potato salad is a must, but while I go for anything but the traditional style, the rest of my clan, and most importantly for this day the BBQer himself, likes that regular stuff.

Side story:  Lately, I’ve become a big follower of the More Than Burnt Toast blog where it feels like a conversation with a wonderful, grounded friend.  Nice. The most recent post was for the Barefoot Bloggers group who make and share recipes by or based on Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa.  These folk really share the love and admiration for her work.  So, trusting the blogosphere once again, I went to Ina for the perfect recipe.  And yes … Bingo!

Sources:

• Potatoes from Arata Fruits
• Dill from Chan’s

New Potato Salad

Ingredients:

3 pounds small red potatoes

Kosher salt

1 cup good mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

Directions:

1.  Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dill, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.

3.  When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves, depending on their size. Place half of the the cut potatoes in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour enough dressing over them to moisten. Transfer to a plate.  Repeat with remaining potatoes, and again, transfer to the plate. (Doing this in batches prevents the potatoes from losing their shape.)

4.  Put the plate of lightly dressed potatoes in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cooled.   Add the celery and red onion, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. (As the salad sits, you may need to add more dressing.)  Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes:

* The steaming technique worked like a charm!

*  Actually, I used smallish red potatoes because that was what I found at Arata farm stand.

*  It took everything in me not to muck this up by adding a bit of dill pickle, some hard boiled egg, then just keep the additions going with some red bell  pepper and anything else that seemed to fit at the moment.  But, this turned out perfect … all about the potatoes and nothing else to distract it.

*  Naturally, a nice green salad would accompany this.  My “go to” vinagrette is a bit sweet to serve with ribs, so I tried another Barefoot Contessa recipe and its a true keeper,  simple enough to let the mixed greens shine.

Make Way for Goslings

The goslings have arrived!  The past month has been full of odd experiences due to nesting season.  Early morning while walking, a duck seemed to fly out of a pine tree and scared the bejezus out of us.  (Actually, we think a cat walked near a nest and the duck flew off from behind the tree, but still a wacky sight.)  While driving through town, everyone slows down for the ducks and geese who decided to nest in front yards when they cross the street.  It is not unheard of to see someone stopping traffic for a bird crossing.  And everyone smiles.

And now … goslings!  These little guys must be brand new, as they are more duckling in size.  When I tossed them some bread, the dad wanted to come over for a snack, but the mom and little ones just kept on going.  Still, I managed to keep the dogs out of the back yard to snap this picture for you.  Aren’t they just the cutest?!

Teenagers

Driving through the orchards and vineyards, its hard not to notice that the world of horticulture is going through an awkward phase.

Trees are sprouting new growth, in a not so graceful fashion.

Long tendrils of woody vines are sprouting funky little green nubs.

Even the strawberries are puffing up, yet not yet bearing ripe fruit.

It is just that awkward phase, and we all know they will grow out of it.

Gremelli and Asparagus

Oh asparagus! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

Last night, after a quickie pasta dinner, there was still lots of pasta left over. Time to raid the vegetable bin and make a pasta salad! And what was waiting there for me, just begging to be included in the fun? Asparagus. While many dishes that I toss together with bits of this and that from the pantry are better than prison food, I wouldn’t specifically shop for the ingredients to make that dish again. Not so this time. This my friends, is a winner. Part of the love in this dish (yes, that’s a shout out to Carla from Top Chef!) is the pasta itself. Costco carries this brand in 6 packs, and it is truly worth keeping some on hand.

The red wine vinegar gives this a nice tang while the Parmesan rounds out the flavors. Enjoy.

No notes were taken during the creation of this dish, so bear with me on the directions.

Ingredients:

half pack of gemelli or similar pasta, cooked al dente

1 bunch asparagus, but into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp dried basil

3 TBS flat leaf parsley, minced

1 TBS olive oil, plus 1 tsp for cooking

1 TBS red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet to medium high, add oil and asparagus. Quickly cook so that the outsides of the asparagus begin to darken but the insides are still crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Add pasta and mix gently. Add Parmesan and asparagus to pasta and combine.

Poppies!

Poppies are just about the happiest little flowers on earth. They are so rugged, often growing on steep hillsides or along the sides of highways. The bright color just has to make you smile! Poppy season also means:

• Great Big ol’ Rainbow season.
• The urge to reorganize your closet with the warm weather clothes towards the front. But don’t yet cuz…
• A few big rains are still to come.
• Asparagus season!
• Artichoke season!
• Recovery from the holiday seasons with friends ready to socialize once again.
• Enjoying the last bits of green hills before they go all brown for the summer.
• More wildflowers everywhere!

Blossoms and Babies

A few scattered brave blossoms has exploded into whole orchards of beauty.

Elsewhere … babies! That is seedling Brentwood Sweet Corn for the uninitiated. And thus begins the most frustrating time of the year … in the stores (no farm stands open yet) are still carrots, potatoes, parsnips and such … but my mind is on to farm stands with corn, tomatoes, strawberries and blackberries! Patience, patience, patience.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Overall, this is a very quiet time of year in the fields. We have dirt, dirt growing various nutrients for feeding the crops this summer, and, well, more dirt. The one bright spot in the landscape is the strawberries.

The farmers have carefully tucked the plants in plastic sheets to keep those precious little roots warm. This means one late harvest in the Fall, and strong plants ready for the new season in the Spring. The anticipation just kills us all at this point of year when we are so, so, SO ready for fresh local foods!

In a related thought, Mrs L of Pages, Pucks and Pantry was recently reminicisng about New Year’s resolutions not quite kept. Last year, I was going to finally can / jar/ put up for winter, some of our amazing harvest. In the height of any season here, fruits and veggies are sold by the flat, just waiting for this experience. I wanted to, planned to do some canning for the first time in my life. But no. On reflection, I realize that I don’t really want to can / jar/ put up for the winter much of anything. What I REALLY want is to show up at someone’s house who actually knows how to do this and have the proper equipment, contribute a few flats of fruits or veggies and some new Mason jars, and simply take orders in their kitchen. For 2009, I’ve got this clarified version of the resolution on my list. Wish me luck!

Good Morning

The trees are beautifully trimmed with sparkling ornaments and family memories, the house is seeping with Winter cheer, gifts have been shared, delectable foods have been enjoyed with family and friends … and now the quiet.  You will need to simply conjure up the sounds of geese in the distance and terns fishing (with great success!) just to the left of this photo.

Enjoy both the zest and quiet of the season.  Blessings to you and your family.