Asparagus Scramble

Here's your weekend breakfast!

All amounts are approximations. Cater to your own liking.

Asparagus Scramble

Eggs
Leftover roasted asparagus
1 medium onion
Chopped red pepper
Shredded Gruyere or Parmesan cheese
S & P

1) Cut onion into thin rings and slice into semi circles. Caramelize the onion. Set aside

2) Lightly saute red pepper, just to soften (if you can be bothered.)

3) Scramble egg and mix in veggies. Sprinkle with cheese and then cover to melt.

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A friend told me that Boursin makes a cooking sauce, called Boursin Cuisine. It has the consistency of sour cream and can be used in place of the cheese. I have not tried it myself. But, there you go, another option.

I forgot to mention a great variety on the simple roasted asparagus. Combine a teaspoon of sesame oil with a teaspoon of soy sauce. Drizzle over asparagus, sprinkle with sesame seeds and roast. YUM.

Roasted Asparagus

So, this is not really a recipe, but instead a simple cooking method. Really the best way to eat asparagus. Roasting gives the asparagus much more flavor than steaming or blanching. This is how we eat asparagus the majority of the time. It is a quick and simple side. A friend's mother told me how to prepare it this way and I haven't looked back since.

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus
Olive oil
Coarse Kosher salt

1) Wash and trim the asparagus. Pat it dry.

2) Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.

3) Bake at 400 F (200 Celsius) to desired tenderness. 5 -15 minutes. Thicker stalks will take longer to cook than thin ones.

Lemony Asparagus Salad

This next recipe is far and away my favorite. It is fresh, simple and tastes like spring. I recently served it with salmon grilled on the BBQ. I thought it made a delicious meal. And, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must tell you this too is my mom's recipe. Ha! Perhaps she is the one who should have a blog!

Serve this salad cold or at room temperature (my preference.) It is even better the next day as leftovers. So, go! Run to the store and collect these ingredients. This salad won't disappoint.

Lemony Asparagus Salad

1 1/2 cups white long grain rice
1 bunch asparagus
1 medium onion
1/4 cup olive oil
3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup pine nuts
S & P

1) Prepare rice according to the package directions. Set aside.

2) Cut off rough ends of the asparagus and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Place blanched asparagus into ice water to stop cooking and bring out the bright green color.

3) Cut asparagus into 2-3 inch pieces. Set aside.

4) Roast pine nuts in a skillet over medium-low heat. The are finished when you smell them and they have turned golden brown. Set aside.

5) Chop onion and saute in a little olive oil. Set aside.

6) Prepare vinaigrette*: Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, zest, S & P.

7) In a large bowl toss rice, asparagus, and onion with the vinaigrette. Add more S & P as needed. Sprinkle with pine nuts before serving. If you are making this salad in advance don't add the pine nuts until you are ready to serve it.

* you may want to double the vinaigrette. Depending on your rice and taste preference more vinaigrette may be needed. Like it lemonier? Add more zest.

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We can hardly discuss asparagus without exploring it's unique side effect when ingested - Smelly Pee (or wee, for those of you who speak the Queen's English.) Well, being the stealth googler that I am I looked into it for us.

Apparently there are 2 chemical compounds in asparagus that may be responsible for the smell - methyl mercaptan and asparagine. It is the breakdown of these compounds in our digestive tract that causes the odor. Here's the weird part, not everybody notices an odor after eating asparagus. Scientists are not sure if some people don't have the gene required to smell the odor OR if they don't have the gene required to break down the chemical componds. Huh. Who knew.

Do I even dare ask? Do you have the gene? I do.

Asparagus Tart

Wow! Thanks for all the great comments about the asparagus and Boursin recipe! It really is delish. Left you all a comment too. Go check it out.

Today's recipe is not an old tried and true one. I made it for the first time last week. The interesting thing about this tart is that it transforms into a totally different thing once refrigerated. When consumed from the oven it is similar to a quiche. After being refrigerated it becomes denser and richer, much more tart-like. You'll notice the 8oz of Mascarpone cheese, trust me. Here is the original recipe. Below is how I adapted it.

Asparagus Tart

1 Refrigerated pie crust
1/2 bunch asparagus
1 T Dijon mustard
2 Large eggs
7-8 oz Mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Fresh chives (cut)

1) Bake the pie crust in a 9 inch tart pan according to it's directions. Cool.

2) Blanch asparagus. Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces, reserving a few spears for the top of the tart (if desired.) Set aside.

3) Spread Dijon mustard over the bottom of the tart crust.

4) In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, mascarpone cheese, milk and pepper. Add Gruyere and asparagus. Mix to incorporate.

5) Pour egg mixture into tart pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chives. Place whole asparagus spears on top (if desired.)

6) Bake at 425 F (200 Celsius) for 40 minutes or until set. Cool and enjoy!

P.S. Have you ever heard of this kind of asparagus? I'm intrigued.

For the love of . . .

ASPARAGUS

Please join me for a week long tribute to my favorite vegetable. Each day I'll share one of my favorite asparagus recipes with you. Hope they inspire you to pick up and bunch and share in the love!

This first recipe is actually my mom's. I'm pretty sure I inherited my affection for asparagus from her, so stealing her recipes shouldn't really come as a surprise. She made this for us during her visit and I've made it several times since. It is incredibly versatile, so you could easily incorporate your fav veggie if it's not asparagus (shock, horror!)

Creamy Pasta with Asparagus and Prawns

3/4 lb of spaghetti
1 package of Boursin Cheese (or something comparable like Alouette)
1 bunch of asparagus (rough ends removed)
300 grams (a bit more than 1/2 lb) of prawns
Shredded Parmesan cheese
S & P

1) Blanch asparagus and place it in ice cold water. Be careful not to overcook. 2-3 minutes max! Drain and cut asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Set aside.

2) Saute prawns in a bit of olive oil until just done. Season with S & P. Set aside.

3) Cook spaghetti, drain and save 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Return spaghetti to the cooking pot.

4) Mix Boursin into hot spaghetti a 1/3 at a time. Add a little hot cooking liquid as needed to soften the cheese, aiding it in coating the pasta. Continue until all Boursin has been incorporated, adding cooking liquid as needed.

5) Stir in asparagus and prawns. Carefully mix to coat.

6) Season with S & P, more P than S is needed. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

This photo was taken without prawns.