Ode to spring

Asparagus’ distinctive flavor makes it a perfect spring ingredient

1 ½ pounds fresh asparagus

¾ pound scallions

1 teaspoon salt

3 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Freshly ground pepper to taste 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled

Chopped chives, for garnish

Chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi got it right: “Good asparagus needs minimal treatment

and is best eaten with few other ingredients.”

True. Simple steamed, grilled, stir-fried or oven-roasted asparagus with a touch of butter, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, is perfection. As a side dish for a charred steak, roasted chicken

or pan-seared fish, you couldn’t do better.

Yet asparagus also enjoys a good gussy-up and plays well with cheese,

herbs and rich sauces.

So let’s get cooking. Here are simple recipes — and true to Ottolenghi’s edict,

minimally treated — that deliver one of the truest tastes of the season.

Instructions: Using a vegetable peeler, shave off the skin from the bottom 3 inches or so of each asparagus stalk so they cook evenly.

Asparagus and Scallions Salad

Snap off the hard stubs at the bottom. They will break naturally at the right point as you bend the bottom of the asparagus.

To prepare the scallions, trim the roots and the wilted ends of the green leaves. Peel off the loose layers at the white ends so the scallions are all tight, trim and about 6 inches long. Cut asparagus and scallions into 2-inch lengths.

Bring 1 quart of water (or enough to cover the vegetables) to boil in a wide, deep skillet and add the asparagus and scallions. Adjust the heat to maintain a bubbling boil and poach the vegetables, uncovered, for about 6 minutes until they are cooked through but tender and not falling apart or mushy.

Lift vegetables with tongs and lay them in a colander. Hold the colander under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain then on kitchen towels and pat to dry. Sprinkle with about ½ teaspoon of salt.

Make a vinaigrette with olive oil, vinegar and mustard. Season with pepper and salt, to taste.

Pile vegetables loosely in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with half the vinaigrette. Toss gently, but don’t break up vegetables. Chill briefly.

Divide onto 4 plates. Quarter the eggs into wedges and scatter them over vegetables. Drizzle servings with remaining vinaigrette and sprinkle remaining salt and black pepper as desired. Scatter chives over top.

Makes 4 servings

Adapted from “Lidia’s Favorite Recipes” by Lidia Bastianich

Greg Morago / Staff