Colossal Cookbook/ColossalCookbook.cdr/mm/mmaspars/asparags.txt

Text File | 1991-04-10 | 9KB | 167 lines

I hope you find the following articles on asparagus as informative as I.
Have also included 7 recipes from this article and used them in the meal-
master format.
                                      Joan Urban
                                      Parma, Ohio



Copied from "The Cleveland Plain Dealer", April 10, 1991
By Jane Moulton, Plain Dealer Reporter

                                 Spearheads
                                     of
                                   Spring

Ah, asparagus!
Ambrosia any
way it's done


Take away the snow, add alittle sunshine, then watch for the green spears to
pop up.  The arrival pf asparagus also propels us into a yearly war.

Experts draw up sides: cook crisp or tender or don't cook at all; peel or not
peel; steam or boil; tie or cook loose; cook upright or flat; buy thick or
thin stalks; serve plain or adorned.  Now there even can be arguments about
the merits of green or purple.

Local purveyors of asparagus were asked about their preferences in an effort
to settle some of these questions.  However, their prejudices became obvious.
The delightful thing is, there were no real losers; asparagus has enough
charms for all.

John Shirk, chef at Bella Luna Restaurant, 34205 Chagrin Blvd., Moreland
Hills, puts asparagus on as a special when it looks wonderful and is pencil
slim.  How does he cook it? "Just trim off a few inches of the stalk and
blanch it in boiling salted water about a minute.  I like it al dente--that's
the way you get the most flavor.  If you buy it slim, the stalks and tips cook
in the same amount of time and you don't have to stand it up to steam the
tips."

The recipe he shared is for Herbed Asparagus with Shiitakes and Parmesan that
he sometimes features as a luncheon special or as a side with fresh fish.  His
customers must like it.  "You can tell they like it by the dishes that come
back to the kitchen; it's always gone."  Shirk, formerly a chef at Baricelli
Inn, has been at Bella Luna since it opened about 1 1/2 years ago.

Aficionados battle over what constitutes "cooked."  Those that prefer crunchy
stalks stand firm on one extreme; those that want it poached-egg soft are on
the other.  Unlike 30 years ago when softies prevailed, today most people
prefer a crisp-tender stalk, so that's how instructions are written.  Shirk's
one minute is quite crisp.  Recipes in old cookbooks generally assume soft
stalks; new one's assume crisp.  Keeping that in mind, cooking times can be
increased or decreased to suit.  Right remains the way you like it.

Mary O'Shea, education director of the Food Co-Op at 11702 Euclid Ave., is
less flexible.  "Asparagus should always be cooked 'al dente' of course," she
wrote in a note that accompanied two well-liked soups and a simple preparation
with shallots and parsley.  "I'm sure that overcooking was why I would not eat
asparagus as a kid."

Increased health conciousness is changing the way a lot of people eat
asparagus, she wrote.  "The Green Grocer (author Joe Carcione) used to suggest
steaming asparagus and serving it with melted butter and lemon juice.  (Now)
more people are drizzling with olive oil and lemon juice instead."

Dean Paraskevas, exotic and imported foods buyer at J.F. Sanson & Sons Co. in
the Northern Ohio Food Terminal, likes his plain  "Just tie it with a string
and steam it." he said.  But he did suggest an aspparagus omelet that relates
to his Greek background.  He also likes asparagus coated with crumbs, fried in
olive oil and topped with Romano cheese.  Either could be the main course at
luncheon or supper.  He uses the fried as an appetizer.

Thomas Sirna, of Sirna & Sons Mainline Produce, a retail market at 7307 Aurora
Rd., Aurora, also likes asparagus unadorned, but he does have a special recipe
with which he indulges family and friends.  Rings of acorn squash hold
asparagus spears, the whole thing garnished with sweet-sour sauce with
caramelized nuts.

"I can't take full credit because my Mom's always comes out better, but mine
still tastes fine," he said.  Mom is Christine Sirna of Maple Heights.
Tasters thought it was great, and it looks beautiful on the platter.

Some people stand firm about cooking asparagus upright in a tall narrow pan to
keep the tips out of water and prevent overcooking.  They even spend a fortune
on a pan to hold it.  But do tips really overcook in water?  Is it worth the
struggle?  A large frying pan holds even long stalks easily, and the inch or
so of water comes to a boil quickly.  Five minutes is usually plenty for whole
stalks.  For most purposes, cut stalks cook crisp-tender in one to three
minutes.

Boiling asparagus tends to glorify its green color, but steaming retains
nutrients.  Microwaving retains both color and nutrients.  A pound of
asparagus, trimmed, with 1/4 cup water cooks on High (100% power) in about six
minutes.  A sheet of aluminum foil folded under the lid protects the surface
of the vegetable from overcooking and drying out.  Sounds crazy, but it works.

To peel or not peel is another question.  Peeling proponents say about a third
more of the stalk is edible and stalks cook more evenly when peeled, but at
the crisp-tender point, the tip is unlikely to turn mushy anyway.  A little
vegetable is lost in the peel, the process takes time, and the ends are lost
for soup, so peeling is still debated.

Some cooks tie asparagus in a bunch to protect against bruising during cooking
and to ease removal from the water.  However, bruising isn't really a problem,
and two slotted spatulas or spoons easily remove the stalks from the pan.
Then they can be drained on a towel over a cake rack and the towel used to
assist transfer to a platter.

Other than taking sides on thick or thin spears -- another personal
preference, as they can be tender when young -- there's little debate on how
to pick good aspparagus in the market.  Stalks should be firm and straight
with closed compact tips.  They should be crisp, not rubbery, and there should
be no suggestion of mold or slimy deterioration on the tips.  All should be
the same thickness for uniform cooking.  When asparagus has a lot pf fibrous
white root on the bottom, the top can still be tender, but priced by the
pound, it's rare to get full value.

Uncooked asparagus should be refrigerated upright in a container of water with
a little sugar.  Think of asparagus as freshly picked flowers.  Water and
chilling keeps it fresh and sugar replaces the natural sugar lost after
harvest.

Early April normally sends a large supplyof asparagus to the market, but rains
in California have been a problem so it's been expensive the last twoweeks.
This week prices should be down.  Local cropswill come in soon if warm weather
holds up.  Because of its weather dependency, excat dates are difficult tp
predict.  Anyone with an asparagus bed should liik for sprouts daily.  In hot
weather, they grow rapidly and can go to seed quickly, ending the crop for the
season.

The plain or adorned debate may never be settled.  The flavor and texture of
asparagus needs no embellishment; cooks shouldn't do anything to detract from
it, the purists maintain.  However, as exemplified by the recipes that follow,
asparagus adds wonderful flavor and texture to combination dishes.

{END}

Another article was also published in the Plain Dealer April 10, 1991

"Deep purple asparagus new but in short supply"

Deep purple asparagus is new on the market and still in short supply.  It's
ultrasweet and ultratender despite finger-thick stalks.  Jim Smith of the
Cavalier, Gulling, Wilson Co., produce distributors at the Northern Ohio Food
Terminal, says he buys it from Victoria Island growers in California.  He had
a short stock last week and will get more in another week or two when it will
be more available in retail markets.

When cooked, the purple stalks turn dark green with a slight purple tinge but
retain their sweetness.  The shorter the cooking the more purple they remain.
They make their loudest statement when raw and purple, so could be featured
fresh to use with cheese dips.  Because of their tenderness, they can be cut
up and used uncooked in salads, such as the shrimp salad furnished by Victoria
Island via Smith

Purple asparagus is expensive - probably twice the price of similar quality
green - but waste is minimal and asparagus faciers almost certainly will think
it's worth the extra expense, at least for special occasions.

                                                     -Jane Moulton