waiting for asparagus 41some B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus, and glutathione, which is a po-
tent antioxidant and anticarcinogen. Nutritional benefits can motivate
some to incorporate vegetables into their diets, but for most people taste is
the key. I’m glad my parents did their eat- your- vegetables act in a house-
hold where fresh vegetables were the norm. If they had tried this with the
flavorless, transported kind widely available in this country, I might still be
the wincing asparagus drama queen.
When asparagus is rolling in from the garden every day, the simplest
way to prepare it is a quick sauté over high heat. This technique caramel-
izes the sugars and brings out the very best of the asparagus flavor. Using
butter in the skillet (alone or in combination with olive oil) provides just
enough water to steam the spears as they’re also being sautéed. Gently
shake them in the pan, cooking just until they turn bright green with
slightly blackened undersides. Grilling asparagus in a grill basket produces
similar tasty results. Steaming is fine too, for a minimalist treatment. Freshly
harvested asparagus is so tender, we never bother with peeling it.
Naturally, in April we can’t live on asparagus alone. In late winter and
spring the local food enthusiast will have to rely on some foods stored from
last year—we use our stored root vegetables, winter squash, dried toma-
toes, and some frozen packages of last year’s garden goods to round out the
spring greens. Some herbs, like cilantro and oregano, may start coming in
now along with baby greens, early broccoli, peas, and onions. A typical
week’s meal plan might look like the following. Always bear in mind, with
this and other meal plans, that leftovers and creative recycling are options.
Every chicken dinner at our house, for example, ends with the carcass go-
ing into the stock pot (basically a big kettle of water) to boil for several
hours. When the stock is thick and gold- colored and the meat falls off the
bones, they’re both ready to freeze or just refrigerate for a couple of days for
an easy chicken salad and/or soup.
LATE WINTER MEAL PLAN
Sunday ~ Herbed roast chicken with potatoes, beets, and carrots
Monday ~ Chef salad with boiled eggs or sausage, green onions, and dried
tomatoes, with bread