Spring has Sprung

Spring is officially here, and every sunny morning validates the promise of more picture-perfect days to come. After a dreary winter the farmers’ market is also coming into bloom, with towering displays of cool-weather crops like squeaky-fresh artichokes, field-grown asparagus and rhubarb, sugary little beets and carrots, celery, peas-in-the-pod and super-sweet sugar snaps, plump fava beans, crunchy radishes, snowy-white turnips, and tender young spinach. Months with little more than apples and citrus to satisfy our cravings for fresh fruit give way to early strawberries and cherries. As if that were not enough, there is a proliferation of fragrant spring flowers to lift our spirits. It pays to pack a cooler in your trunk, lest you succumb to temptation! You’ll never regret it.

Asparagus is the long-awaited harbinger of spring. Unlike the woody, flavorless spears offered year-round at the warehouse store, locally-grown asparagus is a thing of beauty. The following recipe couldn’t be easier, and will be just one more reminder of what a glorious month this is at the farmers’ market.

LEMONY ASPARAGUS with NEW POTATOES

1 1/2 pounds tiny new potatoes (creamers) or fingerling potatoes, halved

3 tablespoons California olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 bunch farm-fresh asparagus (1 to 1 1/4 pounds), tough ends trimmed, cut in half crosswise

1 lemon, sliced, seeds removed

Lemony Garlic-Yogurt Sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the potatoes on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Spread the potatoes into an even layer and cook, turning once, until just tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the baking sheet, but do not turn off the oven.
2. Add the asparagus and lemon slices. Drizzle the asparagus and lemon with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Carefully toss to coat, and spread the potatoes, asparagus, and lemon slices into an even layer. Return to the oven and cook until the potatoes are nicely browned and the asparagus is crisp-tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 7 to 10 minutes, depending upon the thickness. Serve at once, or let cool to room temperature. Drizzle with a bit of the yogurt sauce, and pass the remainder at the table Serves 4 as a side dish, or 2 as an entrée.

Lemony Garlic-Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt

Finely grated zest and juice from 1/2 lemon

1 garlic clove, crushed through a press

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves

In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon zest and juice, and garlic. Taste, adding salt and pepper as needed. Serve at once, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Just before serving, stir in mint if using.

Cook’s Notes

This easy preparation steps up to the plate as that perfect single side dish for just about any grilled or roasted protein.

Alternatively, serve “grass & spuds” as a casual vegetarian meal for two, accompanied by a big green salad and/or loaf of crusty artisan bread; or please the carnivores in your life by “stretching” the recipe by adding chunks of fully-cooked sausage to brown along with the asparagus.

Be sure to serve the roasted lemon slices along with the asparagus and potatoes. In addition to being beautiful, they are quite tasty.

Instead of topping with the yogurt sauce, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

ASPARAGUS TIPS

• When buying asparagus, select firm, bright green stalks with little or no white and tight, dry tips. Asparagus breaks down quickly after harvesting, losing sugar and moisture, so check the ends; if they are shriveled and dry, the stalks are old.

• If your taste leans toward the exotic, remember that white asparagus is comparatively bland; and that purple asparagus turns green when cooked.

• White asparagus is the very same vegetable; it’s just grown differently. The stalks are covered with soil during the growing period to block out the sun, so they never produce chlorophyll—and therefore never turn green.

• To ensure even cooking time, choose asparagus spears that are all about the same thickness.

• Thick or thin?  Like people, it’s often the luck of the draw. Asparagus plants live 8 to 10 years. Young plants produce thin asparagus; mature plants tend to produce thicker spears. It’s as simple as that.

• To store, wrap unwashed asparagus in a damp paper towel and refrigerate in an open plastic bag for up to 4 days. If the spears begin to go limp after 2 or 3 days, rehydrate by cutting a bit off the ends and standing them upright in a container filled with about an inchof water; cover loosely with a plastic bag and refrigerate for an hour or two.

• To remove tough ends from asparagus before cooking:  Hold a spear near the middle with one hand and near the bottom-end with the other hand.  Gently bend the asparagus; it will snap apart at the spot where it begins to get tough.  (If you’re a neat-nik, go ahead and trim off the ends with a knife.)  Discard the tough ends or freeze them for stock, or toss them in the compost pile.

The Danville Certified Farmers’ Market, located at Railroad & Prospect, is open every Saturday, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. For specific crop information call the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association at 1-800-949-FARM, or visit their web site at www.pcfma.org. This market is made possible through the generous support of the Town of Danville. Please show your appreciation by patronizing the many fine shops and restaurants located in downtown Danville. Buy fresh. Buy local. Live well!