The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Don’t Fear the Spear
Recipes for bacon, asparagus and tomato sandwich, and roasted asparagus with lemon mustard sauce
While in the produce aisle recently, I was admiring the beautiful asparagus and had a flashback to when I was growing up. Back then, canned asparagus with its mushy-like texture was the norm. Fresh asparagus was hard to come by. Not every supermarket carried the spears.
It was also rare to see kiwi, arugula and many other fruits and vegetables that are now readily available in supermarkets. I remember when the only choice of lettuce was iceberg; now we have a plethora of greens to choose from. Did I just age myself?
So, I did a bit of research to find out everything you wanted to know about asparagus but was afraid to ask:
• In the U.S., asparagus production is concentrated in California, followed by Washington and Michigan.
• China is the world’s largest producer.
• Germany holds an annual festival celebrating white asparagus.
• White asparagus grows under the soil and the lack of sunlight prevents photosynthesis.
• Asparagus is a member of the lily family.
• According to a study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists, eating asparagus can alleviate hangovers.
There are food festivals throughout the world celebrating asparagus; one of the largest in the U.S. is the 32-year-old San Joaquin Asparagus Festival. The oldest is the 44-year-old National Asparagus Festival of Oceana County, Michigan, recently held June 9-11. Christine Rickard, secretary and asparagus queen coordinator, told me the small town (population 2,000) of Hart, Michigan, is inundated with visitors from throughout the country who attend the festival.
Activities included an asparagus farm tour, “Taste of Asparagus” food show, a parade with floats (can you guess the theme?), and an asparagus dinner with each dish, of course, incorporating the spear. Christine asked me to share the recipe for their award-winning “’Gus Chili.” Check out bit. ly/2tuTg3D.
Asparagus ice cream, deep fried asparagus, pickled asparagus, asparagus cake, asparagus guacamole, asparagus chili, are some of the dishes showcased at the various festivals I read about.
Connecticut doesn’t lack for a festival celebrating asparagus. White Silo Farm & Winery (32 Route 37 E., Sherman, whitesilowinery. com, 860-355-0271) recently held its 10th annual festival. The menu prepared by the farm’s chef, Gina Hauspurg, included asparagus cherry tomato feta couscous salad; asparagus soup; asparagus gelato with biscotti; asparagus frittata; bacon asparagus tomato sandwich; and roasted asparagus with poached organic egg. The recipe for the latter two are below.
Mark your calendar for their Blackberry Festival Aug. 19-20; Raspberry Festival Sept. 16-17; Red Beet Festival Oct. 14-15; and Quince Festival Nov. 4-5.
BACON, ASPARAGUS AND TOMATO (B.A.T.) SANDWICH WITH BASIL MAYONNAISE
1bunch fresh asparagus Olive oil Salt and pepper 8slices whole grain bread 8-12slices of cooked bacon 1garden tomato, sliced
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay asparagus on a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-15 minutes.
Toast sliced bread, then spread with basil mayonnaise (recipe below). Layer with roasted asparagus, cooked bacon and sliced tomatoes to make a sandwich. Cut in half and serve. Makes 4 sandwiches.
Blend mayonnaise, basil, salt and pepper in blender until smooth.
ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON MUSTARD SAUCE AND SOUS-VIDE POACHED EGG
1bunch fresh asparagus Olive oil Salt and pepper 2lemons zested and juiced 2tablespoons whole grain White Silo quince mustard (you can substitute Dijon mustard) Pinch salt Pinch pepper Pinch cayenne pepper 4eggs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay asparagus on baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-15 minutes.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together lemon zest and juice. Add mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne.
To sous-vide poach the eggs, fill a large pot with water (use hot faucet water to reduce time it takes to heat it up using circulator). Set circulator to 73 degrees Celsius. When temperature reaches 73, gently place whole eggs in water. Let eggs cook 15 minutes.
Remove from pot and serve immediately, or place in ice bath to cool. Refrigerate whatever you don’t use. To reheat, simply place eggs in warm water (put them in water that’s about 60 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes). If you choose not to sous-vide, prepare poached eggs the traditional way.
Arrange roasted asparagus on a plate. Drizzle with lemon mustard sauce.
Crack poached egg over asparagus and top with fresh cracked pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
Send us your requests
Which restaurant recipes or other recipes would you like to have? Which food products are you having difficulty finding? Do you have cooking questions? Send them to me. Contact Stephen Fries, professor and coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, at gw-stephen. fries@gwcc.commnet. edu or Dept. FC, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven 06510. Include your full name, address and phone number. Due to volume, I might not be able to publish every request. For more, go to stephenfries. com.