Eating by the Season- Asparagus
Eating food that is in season is one of the best things you can do for your health and your local economy. Produce that is in season tends to be higher in nutritional quality and available for purchase from your local farmers markets…soon to be sprouting up!
Here is a link to a fabulous resource from the website Field to Plate. It’s a page with a link to seasonal produce by State. And about.com has a great article with a list of fruits and vegetables along with their peak growing season.
So I thought I’d share a delicious recipe for asparagus, one of my favorite spring vegetables. This recipe was actually attached to my bundle of asparaugs.
Asparagus Vinaigrette
1/2 lb. asaparagus per person
Italian dressing of French vinaigrette (I use the cheapest store brand I can find)
Fresh Parmesan cheese
Blanch asparagus until almost tender, 3-4 minutes. (Note: I steamed mine for about 15 minutes)
Drain and rinse with cold water to halt cooking proces (Note: the colder the water the better)
Pour Italian dresing over the asparagus. (Note: do this in the dish you intend to serve it. I put mine on top of aluminum foil to save on clean up.)
Let it marinate for 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
(I actually didn’t wait 4 hours before taste testing and it was still extremely tasty).