Foolin around and having fun

Ah, if you don't know by now that my titles frequently tease... well. Today, I'm writing about something that does confront the seasonal cook. A vegetable comes into season, and you know it won't be there forever. So, while it's in season, you do wonderful things to it. At first, you do it very very simply, but after a while, perhaps you think "how many times can I serve that, that way?' And then, you start "foolin around and having fun."

Last night, I found myself with a big bunch of asparagus. I haven't written much about asparagus since they came into season, because the recipes I wrote about them, are really the way we've been eating them. There truly isn't much better than quickly cooked asparagus, perhaps with a dash of lemon juice and/or butter. But... sometimes, the urge strikes for something a bit more. Or, the pan you normally use for doing the regular preparation is being used for something else. Last night, both factors were in play, so I did something else. I pan fried them.

I have seen, and eaten, deep fried asparagus. Ok, but not great, to my taste. I have also eaten batter dipped asparagus that were fried quickly. Those I liked much more. And I love asparagus that are dipped into a bread crumb batter and fried. But years ago, I watched the wonderful Molly Katzen do something on television that was an eye opener. She pan fried asparagus, in vegetable oil, and added toasted pecans to them. It was such an easy recipe that I made it, and made it again, and made it again. SO GOOD. And if you're cooking for vegans, this is a great dish, because the nuts have protein and "heft" to them, and they're richness compliments the grassiness of the asparagus.

Well, last night we were having a roasted chicken, and I was also making couscous. If you look up the roasted chicken recipe I posted, thanks to Zuni Cafe, you'll see I add no fat to it. But one of the things this recipe brings to your attention is the fact that a chicken has a LOT of fat in it. When it's all done, there is liquid all over the pan. So, the chicken IS rich . The couscous was going to be plain, but the salad had an oil based dressing on it. Both Guy and I are succeeding at cutting back on what we eat and losing weight, so I didn't want to put too much into the "Jersey grass," but I didn't want to just steam it. So, I stir fried it with garlic scapes: you will find those at the farmers' market, it's the big green "thing" that comes out of garlic and has a milder flavor than the dried clove. It's really good.

What I did was, I took a bunch of the asparagus, and since they were thin ones, I just b roke off the tough tips. Then I cut them, into about two inch slices, on the bias. I took four scapes, and cut them into fine dice, as if they were chives. I put in half of them to stir fry with the asparagus, and kept the rest, as a fine dice to add at the end. It took no more than four minutes to do it, and they were wonderful.

So, if you are looking at a vegetable and thinking "perhaps I've gotten too familiar with you," well, improvise. There are a skazillion ways to cook everything. Use your senses, use your imagination, and get in there and cook away. I think you will find a whole lot of fun waiting for you.

BREAKING NEWS: Berry season has started! The first blueberries were in, and so were raspberries, but they are rarer, and Annalena missed them today. But blueberries are on the menu for tonight. YAY!!!!!