5 posts tagged “asparagus”

This might have something to do with a certain taco eating contest or just my general lapse in nutritious eating, but I've really been craving some healthy eats. When I think of health food, I instantly think of quinoa. It's a complete protein (very important for vegetarians) and packed full of fiber, magnesium and iron. Somewhere along the way, quinoa fell out of my regular rotation of food and I really don't know why, because besides being undeniably nutritious, it's also quick and delicious. A simple ratio of one part quinoa to two parts water and a cooking time of 15 minutes and you've got your quinoa ready to eat. I sauteed some farm fresh asparagus and sliced red onions to complete my salad. I diced up a few roasted rainbow carrots and romanesco florets that I had leftover, but really any vegetable would work. I tossed my fluffed quinoa with my vegetables together and for flavoring added a squeeze of lemon juice, cumin powder and a handful of mint leaves.

Here's to welcoming back quinoa into my life. Next up, I'm thinking a tabouli where I substitute quinoa for bulgur wheat. My body thanks me.

How many times have I been asked about cow tipping? Countless.

How many cows have I tipped? Nada, zero, zilch.

Being from the "Asparagus Capital of the World", most people have a preconceived idea about my childhood. And though it is a very agricultural area of California, I led what I would consider a very normal suburban life. In a house, not a barn mind you! From the suburban life to city life, I've always been borderline obsessed with vegetables, most notably *asparagus*. Must have been something in the water up there. :) There's even a booth at the FM down here (300+ miles away) from Stockton that exclusively sells asparagus. Tips, white, green, jumbo, skinny... you name it. So when I saw these beauties, I grabbed as many as I thought humanly possible to consume in one week (3 bundles! Told you guys I'm crazy about 'em).
Dinner was going to be all about asparagus. To really highlight their versatility I served them two ways in this dish. I prepared a veloute, which is a stock thickened with a roux, and I also served the tender tips raw for a crisp contrast. To compliment the dish, I seared some Magdalena Bay Scallops that just seemed to melt into the veloute. I also diced up some roasted beets that added a touch of earthy sweetness and a much needed pop of color. Beet is my favorite color (Go to Foodrockz for a nice dose of beet color therapy).

Bon appetit guys. Have a great weekend. I know I'm early but since the stock market's closed tomorrow, I have the day off. Yeah! I see some molecular gastronomy in my future.

Trout fillets can be cooked quickly and have an exquisitely crisp skin. Since they have a mild, not too fishy, taste they pair well anything. I paired mine with an asparagus, celery and chive salad that was simply dressed with meyer lemon juice and olive oil. I also made an asparagus coulis to mirror the flavors in the salad. A pretty garnish never hurts either. :)

Trout Fillets with Asparagus Coulis and Asparagus, Celery & Chive Salad
1 lb of Asparagus, tips sliced thinly on a heavy diagonal, reserve the tougher stems to make the coulis
2 stalks of celery, sliced thinly on a heavy diagonal
1/4 cup of chives, cut into 1" pieces
juice from half a meyer lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 trout fillets, about 1.25 lbs
olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Have an ice bath ready. Cook the sliced asparagus tips for 30 seconds and plunge them into the ice bath so they will stop cooking and keep their vibrant green color. Strain and reserve. Have another ice bath ready. Boil the bottom half of the asparagus stalks for about 60 seconds. Plunge them into your second ice bath. Strain and puree in a food processor. Next pass the asparagus puree through your tamis and season with salt and pepper. There's your coulis. In a medium bowl, mix together your blanch asparagus tips, celery and chives. In order to keep everything crisp, wait until the last second to dress.
Heat a pan to hot heat (cast iron if you have it). Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Season fillets with salt and pepper. Put fish in pan skin side (presentation side) down first. This should take a few minutes before the skin is crispy and brown. Turn the heat down to medium high and flip the fillets. A fish spatula is a really great kitchen tool to have for this. Flat and flexible, yet sturdy. It's nice and slotted so that you can drain any excess oil from the fish. After a few more minutes, transfer the fillets to a plate. Tent with foil and repeat this procedure until all fillets are cooked. Drizzle salad with meyer lemon juice, olive oil and salt & pepper. Serve fish on top of a mound of salad and a smear of the coulis. Finish with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.

Serves 4

From all our asparagus-filled dinners a few weeks back, I had saved all the asparagus ends for a day like today. Such gloomy weather always puts me in the mood for a bowl of soup. I simply added the asparagus ends to a mirepoix of one onion, two stalks of celery and two carrots. Since I wanted to keep it vegan, I added water to it once my vegetables were softened. To bump up the creaminess of the soup, I add a cup of unflavored soy milk. A whirl in the blender and a garnish of chives and soup's on!

flavor. I began by separating the chard stalk from the leaves, since the stalks take quite a bit longer to cook. I sauted them with the abborio rice and some onions and garlic. Once the rice was transparent, I put in about a scant 3/4 cup of white wine and started the slow addition of the lobster broth. When the rice was almost al dente, I began to add the chard leaves. I saved the asparagus, spinach and peas for the end so they would retain their bright green color. Once all the veggies were incorporated I mixed in a handful of parsley, parmasan cheese and heavy cream.  Buying heavy cream by the half gallon is not a very good idea in case you're thinking about it at all. Since I've started do that (for ice cream making, of course) I've become much more liberal with my additions of heavy cream. It does make everything extra creamy and delicious, but I'm going to have to start weaning myself off.
Here's the finished product garnished with none other than stalks of asparagus cut in half lengthwise. It was good but missing something - lobster! The broth was yummy, but also tricked my taste buds into thinking that there would be lobster in it. What a mean, tricky risotto! By this point, I had been eating asparagus for three straight days and not even close to being sick of it. I don't think I could ever get sick of it.  My next aspara-project was grilled pizza. I made a buckwheat and soy flour crust to healthy it up. This crust is a definite winner. It gets nice and crispy on the grill. I have always preferred a thin crust over deep dish. For me, it's all about the toppings, and who needs bread to get in the way of that? Plus, this way you can eat way more without becoming a bloaty bunny! 

I roasted tomatoes, asparagus and zucchini for my toppings. Since the crust is grilled, the topping need to be cooked beforehand. I also caramelized onions and made two types of pizza sauce. I made a sun dried tomato and basil pesto and a simple spicy tomato sauce. I rolled the crust to about 1/8" and brushed it with olive oil before throwing it on my cast iron grill. I turn it 45 degrees to get the char marks going both ways and once it does, I brush the other side with oil and flip it. This really only takes a few minutes. Time for the fun part. I spoon my sauce over it, just leaving a slight border. Pizza topping arrangement is all about balance and knowing how to layer in an order that makes sense gastronomically. All I'm saing is that I want a little of everything in each bite. I'm greedy like that!  I put down a thin layer of mozzarella, followed by caramelized onions, tomatoes and the star of it all, asparagus. I finish it off with chopped parsley and crumbled goat cheese. The goat cheese just melts a bit, helping everything stay together. If you're into thin, crispy crusts, you'll flip out over this one. It is pita-like, and has great texture from all the different flours. Bon appetit. Here's to asparagus. Get it while it's in season.