It’s Asparagus Time!

Photo Courtesy of Flickr.com/calliope (Creative Commons Licensed)












Asparagus season is upon the Bay Area and markets are starting to get fresh spears of this delicious perennial cousin of the lilly family. Perhaps there will be some late season asparagus showing up in the Castro Valley Farmers Market this May!

There are many ways to prepare fresh asparagus:

Sauté spears in a pan with a few teaspoons of olive oil, salt and pepper

Boil spears in salted water with a few lemon wedges for 5 minutes

Steam asparagus spears – add 1″ of water to a shallow baking dish of spears and microwave for 5-6 minutes per pound

Grill on low for about 5 minutes – lightly brush spears with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Delicious asparagus recipes abound but here are two of my personal favorites. One was passed to me by a Castro Valley neighbor and the other was passed to me by a coworker who attends the Pinole Farmers Market on a regular basis.

Dill Tahini Sauce
From Veganomicon by Moskowitz and Romero (which by the way can be found in our very own Castro Valley Library). Use it as a salad dressing, a dip, or a sauce for cooked asparagus.
1/4 c tahini
1/4 c water
1/2 clove garlic
2 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil
1 t balsamic vinegar
1/4 t paprika
1/8 t salt
1/2 c lightly packed fresh dill
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. So easy!

Roasted Chickpeas with Asparagus and Mint
1 pound asparagus, cut into ½ -inch pieces
2 cups canned or dried/soaked chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss asparagus and chickpeas with oils, salt, and pepper to taste. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and place on the center rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Stir, flip, toss, etc. the vegetables and put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until the asparagus is tender but not mushy and the chickpeas have started to caramelize. Remove and toss with fresh mint and lemon juice.