Tis’ the season to pick asparagus, fa-la-la-la-la! After a long, cold, wet winter full of gray skies, rain and snow, last week on Women’s Day – the March 8th female celebration whose mascot is the pom pom-like mimosa flower – the weather all over Italy was sunny and warm - even Florence registered a full 18 degrees celsius! And just like truffle dogs, asparagus hunters wandered into the wood to check out the buds on the spiny, fern-like plant that bears one of the great delicacies for first course pasta dishes.
But first, a little wiki:
Asparagus huntress
an evergreen bush, the asparagus plant likes to grow erratically in un-kept fields, near dry walls and around oak trees. Asparagus pickers know that its natural defense are its thorns which aggressively slice up your hand as you reach for the slender, dark green bud peeking over the top of the fern. Buds are cut off close to the base, where the stem turns light gray and fibrous. Healthwise, lots of minerals and lots of vitamins are packed in this slim jim plus it is a natural diuretic, so good for the kidneys. Insomniacs beware, it can also keep you awake if you indulge too close to bed time.
Asparagus is often boiled or steamed, but wild asparagus is best just sauteed in some olive oil and seasoned with garlic. If you’re keen for the steam, here’s a tasty way to make them:
1 lb. (500 grams) asparagus
Marinated Wild Asparagus
4 cups white wine
2 cups white wine vinegar
3 T balsamic vinegar
oregano
salt
olive oil
Bring the wine and vinegars to a boil, cook half the asparagus for 10 minutes then the other half. Place in a ceramic dish (no plastic containers please), sprinkle with oregano, salt, and olive oil. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Pasta dishes come out fantastic with fresh asparagus. Personally, I love the mare e terra - sea and soil – a combination of salt water flavors with an earthy texture. Short pasta like trofie are great, no egg noodles as they interfere with the flavor of the asparagus and clash with the seafood.
1/2 lb wild asparagus
Trofie pasta
1/2 lb clams
garlic
ripe tomatoes (a couple)
white wine
olive oil
fresh trofie
tarragon
fresh parsley
Sautee the asparagus in a pan with olive oil and garlic until done, about 20 minutes.
In the meantime steam open the clams: after soaking for at least 2 hours in salted water, rinse, strain and place the closed clams in a dry pot with a clove of garlic, cover and heat over moderate flame until all are open. Filter and put aside the water in the bottom of the pot. Remove some of the bodies from the shells, leaving a few shells for flavor and decor.
Put the water on for the trofie.
In a frying pan in about 2 T olive oil, brown a clove of garlic, piece of chili pepper and add the clams to the pan then immediately douse in white wine. When the wine evaporates a bit add the tomatoes (smash them a little between your fingers to open them up), add the tarragon and cook for 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and mix. If the sauce seems dry add some of the filtered clam water.
Cook the trofie, strain, and dump into the frying pan with the sauce. Turn the flame up high, mixing the pasta with the sauce, adding clam water if needed. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top and serve immediately.
Tags: Asparagus, Green, Italian recipes, Italy, Real Italian Food
