by John Ash
from Fine Cooking #110, p. 56-61

I grew up on my grandparents’ ranch in central Colorado. At 8,000 feet, winters were pretty harsh, so you can imagine how glad we were to see the wild asparagus pop up, usually in April, with its promise of warmer days. My grandmother and I would head out to pick the bright green stalks—and eat much of our bounty right on the spot; I could never get enough of that deliciously sweet, grassy flavor.

An asparagus plant takes three years to produce harvestable spears, but once mature, it can send up 7-inch shoots in a single day. With so much at hand, my grandmother and I found all sorts of ways to prepare asparagus, eating it every day of its short season.

Fresh asparagus, when grilled, pairs deliciously with a juicy steak; it can also be shaved into long, delicate strips and tossed with greens for a crisp salad. It lends a distinctive, mild flavor to soups and can be finely chopped and used as an elegant filling for ravioli. Better yet? The perfectly shaped spears make addictively good “fries.” But no matter how you cook it, asparagus is spring on a plate, and as readily available in farmers’ markets and groceries as it is in the mountains of Colorado.

Shaved Asparagus Salad with Aged Gouda and Hazelnuts		Asparagus Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce
Grilled Asparagus and Steak Salad with Hoisin Vinaigrette		Asparagus Fries with Smoked Paprika Aïoli

Asparagus and Spinach Soup with Roasted Garlic Custards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by: Scott Phillips