Final Taste of Spring: Shaved Asparagus Salad

Depending where you are, asparagus season may be just about coming to a close. It is here and I've been trying to take full advantage and eat my fill — practically daily. In case you've grown sick of it — gasp — here is a nice variation I had not tried before. It's asparagus in the raw and it's the kind of thing that just can't be done with bland grocery store asparagus. No exact measurements are given — it's all just to taste. You really can't go wrong.

Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon and Parmesan
From Smitten Kitchen

1/4 cup pine nuts or sliced almonds 1 pound asparagus, rinsed (No need to snap off the tough ends)
1 lemon, halved
Olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 ounces Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread nuts on rimmed baking sheet in single layer  and toast for 5 to 10 minutes. DO set a timer and keep a close eye on things. They turn golden in a flash and then burn in a jiffy. We've all done it!

To shave asparagus, rest a single stalk on a cutting board while holding onto the tough end. Use a vegetable peeler  to shave off thin asparagus ribbons from stalk to tip, peeling away from the tough end in your hand. I'm sure a Y-shaped peeler would make this a breeze, but I used a standard one and it worked just fine. Discard the tough ends once you’re done peeling.

Pile one-third of your ribbons on a medium-sized serving platter. Squeeze some lemon juice over the asparagus, drizzle it with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Toss gently and then use your peeler to shave curls of Parmesan right off the block, over the asparagus. Sprinkle with some toasted nuts.

Repeat with remaining asparagus, a third of the remaining bundle at a time. Serve immediately.

Crunchy winter salad with fennel and celery

Since reading the article by Mark Bittman in the current issue of Bon Appetit about recent changes he's made to his diet, calling it 'vegan until six,' which I love, I've been obsessing over the recipes on his web site. I was already a fan of the Minimalist column and especially love the charm of his how-to videos. But now I'm seriously hooked. The recipes truly are minimalist and the fresh flavor and crunch of this salad will perk you up plenty on a cold winter's day. 

Fennel and Celery Salad

Adapted from Mark Bittman

1 medium fennel bulb
2 celery ribs, trimmed and peeled
1 Tb extra virgin olive oil
2 Tb fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

 

Trim fronds and end from fennel bulb and cut into quarters lengthwise, discarding outer layer if exceedingly tough. Slice fennel and celery as thinly as possible (a mandoline would be nice, though by no means necessary).
 

Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Combine fennel and celery in a large bowl and toss gently with dressing. Season with salt and pepper and top with plenty of Parmesan, freshly shaved with a vegetable peeler. 

 

But wait — don't throw away those fronds! Reluctant to just toss the beautifully frilly fronds (fennel's not cheap, friends!), I did a quick search online and found plenty of people turning them into pesto — aha! Why not? I turn pretty much every other leftover herby green into pesto, so why not fennel fronds? The fronds have a more delicate flavor than the bulb, so  while I am a garlic freak, I would tread slowly with the garlic in this pesto — it can quickly overwhelm the lovely anise flavor. I added the peas for an extra bit of creaminess and veg,  but that is completely optional. So here's how it goes…

 

Fennel Frond Pesto

Makes about 1 cup.

1 cup fennel fronds (from 1 medium bulb), chopped

1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons pine nuts, pistachios or slivered almonds
1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted slightly (optional)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Combine fronds, garlic, nuts, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous grind of pepper in a food processor or blender and process until finely chopped. Add peas (if using), olive oil and cheese and continue to process until smooth. Season with more salt to taste.

Smoked paprika parsnip chips

I've been trying to expand the old vegetable roster around here and last week ran into some gorgeous, gorgeous photos of wide slivers of parsnips roasted to a toasty finish. Where, you might ask. Gosh, darn it if I know. No clue. I've wasted countless hours scouring the interwebs in search… to no avail. Perhaps I only dreamed of such beauty. During said scouring, however, this rendition of parsnip chips caught my eye. 

Now mind you, I don't like BBQ potato chips one bit. I always think I will and if someone has a bag, it seems predetermined that I snag a handful just to be sure I haven't change my mind. I haven't. But if they tasted anything like these babies, I would in a heartbeat. Smoky, sassy, parsnip-ity, perfect.   

Smoked Paprika Parsnip Chips

Adapted from babble.com
 

2 large parsnips
1-2 Tbsp olive oil, depending on size of parsnips
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350ºF. 

Scrub parsnips clean and trim both ends. (Nope, didn't even peel 'em.) Thinly slice into rounds. (A mandolin would probably make this a breeze, but the old knife did a fine job.)

Toss sliced parsnips with olive oil, vinegar and paprika. Spread in as close to a single layer as you can on a large rimmed baking sheet (Don't worry about a little overlap — these puppies shrink). 

Bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are browned and curling and chips are crispy. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

Even better dipped in my new favorite dressing that I've been slathering on everything: salads, chips, finger.

Spicy roasted cauliflower

My mother always says that cauliflower tastes better after there's been a hard frost. It's not something I ever questioned — or experimented with to find out. I simply believe her and wait to have it until I'm sure we've had a good number of frosty nights. By now, we certainly have in Michigan and I bought this beautiful head grown just down the road a ways. I pulled out a recipe from Serving up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman, a book I bought when I first joined a vegetable CSA and had started a little backyard garden and was overwhelmed with both the variety of new veggies in my box each week and the quantities of veg I was harvesting. The book is arranged in order of ripening during the harvest season and gives a bit of history of each vegetable, growing tips and then several recipes. 

This is addictive. It becomes somewhat caramelized and is packed with flavor. I dedicate it to my brother, who when asked by his third grade teacher to name his favorite vegetable, replied cauliflower. Yes, that's right. Third grade. Cauliflower.

 

Roasted Spiced Cauliflower

From Serving Up the Harvest

 
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large head cauliflower (about 3 lbs.), cut into florets
Kosher or coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Lightly grease a large sheet pan (preferred) or large shallow roasting pan with oil. Combine the oil with the garlic salt, curry powder, cumin, cardamon, ginger, cayenne, and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the cauliflower and toss to coat. Spread the cauliflower on the prepared pan in a single layer. Roast for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the florets are tender-crisp and browned. To serve, mound the florets on a serving platter and sprinkle with the kosher salt to taste.