Weird, I know. Turns out asparagus and strawberries go together as okay in food as they do on your farmers’ market shopping list for May. It was my convenient riff on a recipe for roasted asparagus and cherry tacos I saw last year. I did not go through the trouble of making asparagus salsa because I have a jar of my father-in-law’s homemade (and homegrown!) tomatillo salsa that got the job done. I think asparagus and strawberries could also go together with fresh cheese (ricotta, chevre, etc.) and nuts in salads, on bruschetta/crostini, or even with pasta (yes, strawberry pasta).
It’s spring! Flowers! Allergies! Rain! Asparagus! Ramps! I’ve learned to appreciate these things while they last because before we know it, there will be an onslaught of heat, humidity, and mosquito bites to mark the end of spring.
Mayonnaise has never really been part of my condiment collection but the homemade kind is fun to make. You can use a food processor or give your forearm a light workout by using a whisk. Green garlic is the stalk of the garlic plant, harvested before a bulb (where the cloves come from) has fully formed. It has a mild garlic flavor and turns the mayonnaise a pretty shade of light green.
In a bowl or food processor, combine:
1/4 cup finely chopped green garlic
1 egg yolk
salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
Whisk together by hand or turn on the food processor. Slowly drizzle in up to 1 cup of olive oil while the food processor (or your hand) is running. The mixture should emulsify and thicken (but don’t overdo it or else you’ll break it). Taste and adjust seasonings.
I mixed a spoonful of my green mayonnaise with extra mustard, capers, and parsley to dress up a potato and asparagus salad (that tastes better after sitting in the fridge overnight, by the way). I’m thinkin it may also do wonderful things to steamed artichokes, pretty much any sandwich, chicken or egg salads, pommes frites, some kind of crudités plate, crab cakes… basically any of the usual mayonnaise applications that could use a hint of garlic.
I can only speak from my own experience, but this is the type of sandwich that is perfect as a light dinner after you spend a sunny afternoon outdoors, eating burritos and splitting an entire pitcher of margaritas with your friend Nicole who is now a freshly minted Juris Doctor (!). Cooking while tipsy usually goes surprisingly well for me (cf. spaghetti with Ashwin) and this was no exception: no cuts, no burns, no mess, and good food.
To make it: Toss trimmed asparagus spears and sliced potatoes (about 1/4-inch thick) with oil, salt, pepper, and hot paprika. Roast in a 425-degree toaster oven until lightly browned. Fry an egg, then top it with a slice of cheddar cheese to let it melt in the pan. Stack everything on a split and toasted roll.
Hi, I’m back. That month-long intermission was thanks to school work piling up, old friends from high school coming to visit, and nothing terribly interesting or new happening in the kitchen. But school’s out, it’s sunny outside, and I will be doing a lot of languishing around this busy city for the next week.
Amazingly, I finished a take-home final several hours before the deadline yesterday and even had time to bake a little cake salé with cheddar and chives to bring to a class potluck/mingle-fest (yes, we do a lot of celebrating with food in my Nutrition program). After an evening of eating and drinking (both relatively lightly, believe it or not) at Red Rooster AND Dinosaur BBQ, I couldn’t wait to sleep in and be a bum all day. I was woken up by a couple of pigeons doing it right outside the living room window. I don’t know why I’m bringing any of this up, but the point is, I spent my morning making a whole batch of ricotta gnochi and obsessing over all the vegetables piling up in the fridge.
To make it, I tossed cooked gnudi with sauteed asparagus and crimini mushrooms in a pan, then topped it off with a pat of butter, a few shavings of lemon zest (a squirt of juice might’ve been good too, looking back), chopped scallions, and let it heat through. Sprinkle some chives and grated cheese on top before digging in.
