Spring in my garden is like a three-month-long Easter-egg hunt – every where I look there are constantly new surprises to treasure. A previously bare fruit tree is suddenly covered in a cloak of puffy pink blossoms. A row of crocuses have poked their heads up thru the dead leaves around the tree. Each day, with longer and warmer days, the surprises multiply – drifts of daffodils; fragrant and vibrant freesias; broccoli heads going to flower; brilliantly golden fields of mustard. Both these last two have yellow blossoms that are tiny tastes of their namesakes. (Be sure to use ones away from car fumes, and wash them well).
Finally, seeing the first tips of the asparagus peeking up through the soil is, for me, the true culinary hallmark of spring.
Brush them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and grill them; use them for a light cream soup; toss them raw (thinly sliced) on a salad; stir fry angle cut spears with tangerine peel, garlic and ginger; celebrate their season. The culinary variations are limitless.
Many home gardeners don’t have the patience to grow asparagus, since you are supposed to wait a year after planting (a one-year-old “crown” is available at nurseries) before enjoying your first harvest. And usually it takes three years to get nice, fat spears (which actually are more flavorful than the skinny ones). But the good news is that once established, asparagus plants can last 15–25 years. Hard to believe, but a local here in the valley has been growing his small patch for 30 years!
A member of the Lily family, and related to onions, leeks and garlic, asparagus has been cultivated for over 2000 years. It is thought to have originated in the eastern Mediterranean countries and has since naturalized throughout the world. The name itself comes from the Greek for “shoot “ or “stalk.” Asparagus as we know it is the stalk of the plant. If left to grow, it develops branches and delicate, feathery leaves, and even produces little red berries.
To see how they grow is rather like something out of Alice in Wonderland – they stick straight up out of the ground, as if someone just poked them into the soil. And an amazing stalk it is; under optimum conditions it can grow up to 10 inches in 24 hours.
This assertive little veggie is also packed with nutrition. High in folic acid, potassium, thiamine and vitamins B6, C and A.
So no matter how you choose to prepare it, it is truly a tasty way to welcome spring.
This recipe is my updated version of a spring treat my mother used to prepare, and makes four sandwiches.
Annie’s Spring Sandwich
6 oz Swiss cheese, shredded
4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon creamed horseradish
1/2 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped fine
24 stalks of standard asparagus
8 oz of good quality ham, sliced thin
4 slices seeded rye bread
2 tablespoons additional mayonnaise
Combine first six ingredients and set aside.
Trim the tough ends off the asparagus. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Toss to coat. Cook on hot grill, turning as needed, until al dente. Lightly toast bread and spread lightly with additional mayonnaise. Divide the ham into four even batches and lay each on top of one of the toasts. Place 1/4 of the asparagus on top of the ham, alternating the direction of the tips. Divide the cheese mix into four parts and spread one part on each sandwich. Place on a sheet tray and place under a hot broiler until golden. Serve hot. Garnish the plate with wild mustard flowers.
Linda Gilbert is the owner, along with her husband Tom Romano, of Broadway Catering and Events. She has worked in all phases of restaurant work, from front of house to sous chef; owned a cookie company; taught cooking classes; and written for Sally’s Place on the Internet. Next to cuisine-based travel (recently Thailand, Italy and Mexico), her love is gardening – thus her membership in the Sonoma Valley Grange, the Ecology Center and serving on the board of the Sonoma Valley Slow Food Convivium.
