Panko-Coated Chicken Schnitzel and Raw Asparagus Caesar Salad

Chicken schnitzel doesn't exactly sound sexy (if I had to pick a sexy-sounding schnitzel it would be duck schnitzel like the one they serve at The Marrow).  And it doesn't look sexy.  But I feel like I keep running across recipes for it lately and honestly, schnitzel can be really tasty (provided it's not dried out and flavorless, which can be a serious problem with chicken breasts and/or pork).  Alex and I have long been fans of breading and cooking chicken.  Generally we bread the chicken with some panko and/or cornflakes and throw it in the oven because it's easy and the breading tends to fall off on us when we try to cook it in a pan.  But this recipe worked out beautifully - the panko was beautifully golden brown and crispy and the chicken was cooked through without being dry.  And none of the breading fell off!  Plus when you added the piccata sauce it makes everything that much more delicious.  Who doesn't love browned butter with capers and lemon juice?   I think chicken schnitzel always needs a sauce because the breading often isn't seasoned and even though the chicken breasts here weren't all dried out and overcooked, it's still boneless, skinless chicken breast with breading.  By definition the combination is a little dry.  This piccata sauce works nicely, but a spicy sriracha mayo (or a simple squirt of lemon juice) works too. 

As for the asparagus salad, I love asparagus salads.  And this one worked nicely with the chicken schnitzel because it is crisp, bright and acidic.  It cuts through the slight richness of the chicken nicely.  This isn't my favorite raw asparagus salad that we have ever made, but it was really nice and fresh, but the dressing gives it a little creamyness and umami.  I would make it again.

Recipes after the jump!

Charred Asparagus Tacos with Creamy Adobo and Pickled Red Onions

There are a lot of things that I love about this recipe.  The first is the asparagus itself.  Fresh asparagus is one of the things I love most about spring.  Charred in a pan with evoo, s&p, the asparagus was sweet but grassy.  The second is how wonderful the creamy adobo sauce is.  This is a sauce that I want to slather on all sorts of dishes - it is spicy, sweet and tangy.  Actually, I think this sauce would work really nicely with skirt steak tacos.  I told Alex that if we ever have people over for a Mexican fiesta I want to simply grill up some skirt steak for tacos and make these asparagus tacos.  You can use all of the same fixings for both sets of tacos, whip up some homemade guacamole and some elote and it will be an amazing meal.  Somehow you taste all of the various flavors here - the adobo sauce adds a ton of flavor without obscuring the flavor of the asparagus or the sweetness of the pickled onions.  My two biggest complaints about the Smoky Chicken Tinga Tacos we made were that the flavor of the chipotles obscured everything else and the tacos didn't have any texture.  All you tasted was heat and everything was soft.  This dish had varying textures and serious depth of flavor.  It was sweet, spicy, crunchy, creamy and tangy.  In a nutshell, these tacos were delicious.  And I will be adding them to my regular taco rotation.  They were great with fresh asparagus, but with all of the other flavors and textures going on, normal supermarket asparagus would work too.

Recipe after the jump!

Asparagus and Avocado Salad

Hurray for fresh asparagus!  Before I go on I should disclose that I bought about 3 lbs of fresh asparagus at the farmers' market this week (along with a LOT of other fresh produce, some of which we already used) and as of today we have only used about half of it.  So you can expect a few more asparagus recipes shortly.  We already made a much lazier version of this Spring Salad of Asparagus, Ramps, Snap Peas, and Peas, with Poached Egg and Lemon Vinaigrette and we are planning on making some asparagus tacos tomorrow.  We will have to wait and see how much asparagus we have left after that, but I'm thinking it will be enough for at least one more dish.  

I guess I should turn to this salad.  I bought My Pizza by Jim Lahey roughly two years ago but we haven't had the opportunity to use it much.  There are a ton of delicious looking pizzas in there (one of which I am considering for our remaining asparagus), but there are also some nice salads and other appetizers.  For us it has become one of those cookbooks I always mean to use, but somehow never do.  I need to fix that because this salad was one of the easiest and tastiest things we have made at home recently.  The combination of asparagus, avocado, lime and mint isn't an intuitive one for me but it works really nicely.  I was worried this salad would be a little too simple, but it works - it's really simple, but the avocado makes it creamy and a little indulgent and the fresh farmers' market asparagus has a lovely grassy sweetness.  Our lime was a little stingy on the juice so I would recommend tasting and adding more lime juice to taste (or a little lime zest if your limes are similarly stingy).  This is a dish I can definitely see us making in the future - it's perfect on days where you just don't want to turn on the stove and/or oven, but a mixed green salad doesn't work.  It makes a really good side dish that could work with a number of entrees, but I can see myself serving it for brunch with a simple frittata or omelet and some fresh fruit.  I don't think I would pair it with pasta, but it could also work nicely with some homemade pizza.  I would probably do a simple pizza without too much cheese and meat - maybe a margherita or stracciatella pizza or a pizza with prosciutto and arugula.  My Pizza also has a spinach pizza called a Popeye Pie that I would pair this with. 

Recipe after the jump!

Sauteed Asparagus with Green Garlic and Fried Eggs

This is the type of meal that I would eat all the time if I were still single or living alone.  And that's exactly what I told Alex while we were eating dinner last night.  I freaking love asparagus and I love eggs.  Any dish that combines those two thing is A-OK with me.  I guess that's no surprise to anyone seeing as we have a number of other recipes on the blog that combine those two things (see Midnight Asparagus with Creamy Eggs and Pan-Roasted Asparagus, Poached Egg and Miso Butter for two quick examples, although I know that there are at least 2 more on the blog off the top of my head).  I just can't help myself when things go together this well!  

This is the perfect mid-week meal because it comes together easily and quickly, and requires minimal prep-work.  Alex and I made it Thursday night after I got home from work around 9 pm and we had it on the table (and eaten) by 9:30.  How easy is it to just fry up a few eggs and serve them on top of some sauteed asparagus?  I am strongly of the belief that many dishes would be improved by the addition of a runny egg or two, but that's another story entirely.  Another plus for this dish is that it can be adapted to use whatever you have in the fridge.  I know I generally don't have access to green garlic, but we had it this time so we used it.  Regular garlic would work just fine!  

As a side note, before you all think I have turned vegetarian on you,  the next few posts will be meaty.  So stay tuned!

Recipe after the jump!

Shaved Asparagus Salad with Parmigiano-Reggiano

I know, I know - I'm posting another asparagus recipe.  Deal with it.  I bought two bunches at the farmer's market today and I couldn't wait to get home and make the first.  I wanted to buy some sugar snap peas too, but they were all gone by the time we got there.  I was very sad.  I bet you are sad too because sugar snap peas would provide at least a little variety.  Since it was pretty hot out today I decided to make a raw asparagus salad for lunch.  Asparagus works wonderfully with lemon and/or Dijon vinaigrette.  I decided to go with a lemon vinaigrette because it sounded fresher and lighter.  We actually made a very similar salad last summer with Pecorino cheese instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano (see Asparagus and Pecorino Salad), but I liked today's salad more.  I thought the buttery flavor and crunch of the toasted pine nuts was a nice touch.  I also liked the addition of the parsley for some additional brightness.  The bright citrus vinaigrette really compliments the grassy sweet flavor of the fresh asparagus.  And then you have the sharp salty flavor of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the buttery pine nuts.  Yum.  It's very simple, but it works.

Recipe after the jump!

Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Stir-Fry

By the end of May you guys might get a little sick of my asparagus obsession.  I just can't help myself.  And I have another 4-5 recipes that I intend to make before the spring is over.  So I am going to apologize in advance because I'm going to be on an asparagus kick for at least a little while longer.  But I promise to start mixing in a few other veggies once they become available at the farmers' market.  I have been waiting anxiously for sugar snap peas, which one of the vendors assured me would be ready this weekend.  Yay!  But the first few recipes I make will probably include both asparagus and sugar snap peas.  I just can't help myself.  But I promise that I will at least try to mix it up a little in terms of the types of asparagus recipes we make - both in terms of types of cuisine and entrees vs sides vs salads.

Anyway, if you are looking for a nice easy vegetarian stir-fry dish and you enjoy asparagus even half as much as I do, you totally want to make this dish.  Fresh in-season asparagus has a great sweet, slightly grassy flavor that pairs well with the meaty, earthy dried shiitakes.  And the sauce is sweet and savory, and with the asparagus and mushrooms it made for a very interesting combination of flavors.  Because of the meaty flavor of the mushrooms the dish is very satisfying and hearty.  I didn't miss meat at all in this stir-fry.  Served with some white rice it was a wonderful meal.

Recipe after the jump!

Midnight Asparagus with Creamy Eggs

It's finally fresh asparagus season!  Hurray!  In the next few weeks I will probably have a crazy number of asparagus recipes on the blog.  I just can't help myself.  This recipe was one I found on Serious Eats during a recipe garthering/meal planning binge a few weeks ago.  Once I start looking up recipes I can't seem to stop myself!  The thing that I like most about this recipe is how "springy" it is.  Asparagus is essence of spring in vegetable form and once you add in the lemon juice for me it just screams spring.  I'm not certain that it is the most successful asparagus recipe (or egg recipe for that matter) that we have ever done, but it was a really nice meal.  And on top of the taste, it was a super easy one pot meal, which made it even more awesome.

Recipe after the jump!

Asparagus Custard Tart

I wish every season was fresh asparagus season.  I love asparagus.  And as much as I love the concept of eating seasonally, I can't restrain myself from indulging in asparagus year round (provided that the asparagus at the grocery store looks ok).  This time it looked pretty good, so I decided to go ahead and make an asparagus tart recipe from Gourmet for a potluck Fakesgiving dinner (one of those pre-Thanksgivings you have with your friends before you go home to have the real Thanksgiving with your family).  As a side note, I really think of this dish as more of a quiche than a tart, but to each their own.

My favorite thing about this tart by far was the crust.  Even without blindbaking it stayed buttery and flaky.  It managed not to get soggy at all.  I was shocked.  And it is even more impressive when you consider that I ate that slice above after it sat in the fridge overnight in a tupperware.  And the crust was still flaky.  The custard itself was nice and creamy and had a really nice, fluffy consistency.  Fluffy sounds weird, but it kind of was.  I thought the asparagus and leek combination was really nice, but I think I would add some grated Gruyere cheese or something to the custard the next time.  I don't want a ton of cheese, but I think a little nutty flavor from the cheese would be a nice touch.  The tart does take a little while to make.  First you have to make the crust, then you have to let it rest, then you have to roll it out and so on and so forth.  I might try the crust and the custard with different vegetable fillings (and cheese).  I wonder how the same recipe would taste with zucchini or spinach.  It also might be delicious with some heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil.

Recipe after the jump!

Hot-and-Sour Prawn Soup (Tom Yum Kung) and Thai Asparagus

There are soups that take forever to cook and then there are soups that come together very quickly, and are so tasty that you would think they took ages.  This soup is one of those soups that comes together in the blink of an eye and yet tastes like you have been simmering the broth all day.  It's sour, spicy, a little funky and a lot delicious.  It's not the best version of tom yum soup I have ever tasted, but it is definitely better than the versions they serve at most neighborhood Thai restaurants.  And it was so easy (and quick) to make!  As for the asparagus, we had already made a variation on the recipe with some haricots verts, so we knew that we liked the flavors.  But since we had some asparagus in the fridge and no real ideas on how to cook it, we thought it was a good opportunity to try out the same recipe as it was written (well, we modified it a little bit, but at least we used the correct vegetable this time).  As with the green beans, the asparagus came together very quickly and easily and tasted pretty good.  I'm not sure whether I liked the green beans or the asparagus better, but part of me thinks that the green beans might have been just a smidge better.  Maybe it's because we have asparagus all the time so the green beans were a nice change from our usual.  Or maybe it's because they were just better.  I'm not really sure.  Regardless of which vegetable is better, the meal was a very nice one that came together quickly and was quite tasty.

Recipes after the jump!

Asparagus and Pecorino Salad

I love asparagus in spring.  I love everything about it.  I could eat it every day of the week if I were allowed to do so.  Over the years I have made asparagus dozens of ways.  Some of my recent favorites include Pan-Roasted Asparagus, Poached Egg & Miso Butter, Roast Asparagus (which can be modified and made hundreds of different ways - one of my favorite variations is to drizzle it with sesame oil and topped with toasted sesame seeds instead of cheese), and the Korean Rice Bowl with Steak, Asparagus and Fried Egg.  I have several recipes picked out that I plan on trying as soon as I can, including Asparagus with Butter and Soy from Cooking in the Moment by Andrea Reusing.  But since it was so hot out today Alex and I decided to make a simple asparagus salad, rather than cooking the asparagus.  The very last thing I wanted to do today was to turn the oven on.  So I shaved up some asparagus and some pecorino romano and tossed them with a lemon vinaigrette.

I can't say that this salad makes my list of favorite asparagus recipes, but it was a nice change from all of the roast asparagus that we generally eat.  Good fresh asparagus is tender, sweet and fresh, with a hint of grassy flavor.  When you roast it the asparagus gets nutty and it loses its grassy flavor along with its subtle sweetness.  In this salad the natural flavors of the asparagus shine through, but it's just missing something.  There is nothing to really bring the salad together.  It's good, but it's not amazing.  And I can't really figure out what I would do to change that... 

Recipe after the jump!

Korean Rice Bowl with Steak, Asparagus and Fried Egg

After a few weeks of working late and not being able to cook, it has been pretty exciting to be able to cook dinner every night since Monday.  I have weeks of recipes that have piled up on me, just waiting for me to have some free time to cook.  This take on bibimbap was one of the ones that I have been dying to make.  Given how excited I was to make this dish, it's not at all surprising that this is my favorite dish we have made this week by far.  To use Alex's favorite phrase when he really likes something we made it was "kind of awesome."  I concur.  It was kind of awesome.  All of the ingredients worked perfectly together - the sesame salt on the asparagus, the marinated flank steak, the fried egg with the runny yolk and the fluffy white rice.  The Korean hot pepper paste added the perfect level of flavor and spice.  There are a few ingredients and a few steps (which requires the use of a few pans/pots), but it all comes together pretty quickly.  And every component to the dish plays off every other component in a way that really satisfies.  The dish is delicious - a real winner.  There is literally nothing I would change about it.  And that almost never happens.

Recipe after the jump!

Pan-Roasted Asparagus, Poached Egg & Miso Butter

This dish was one of the reasons I bought this cookbook.  Actually, we would have bought the cookbook either way because Alex and I both love the Momofuku restaurants, but when I saw this recipe in there I was really excited.  One of my first few meals at Momofuku Ssam was centered around this dish.  Of everything I ate that night, this was the dish that really stuck out in my mind.  Years later I still remembered how delicious it was.  And unlike most of the recipes in the Momofuku cookbook, the dish is actually fairly easy to put together.  It requires a few pans and utensils, but overall it's pretty simple!  And it's super delicious.  Alex is out of town for the evening so when I stumbled across fresh NJ asparagus at Whole Foods today, I knew exactly what I wanted to make for dinner.  It was every bit as delicious as I remembered, even if I had to modify the recipe to make regular poached eggs rather than the slow-poached eggs David Chang uses.  The miso-butter is warm and a little nutty.  It's totally savory and delicious.  Then when the runny egg yolk runs down into the butter, it forms this rich creamy sauce - almost like a hollandaise.  It's the perfect taste of spring.

Recipe after the jump!

Egg-Topped Soba Noodles with Asparagus and Prosciutto

Hey guys.  Sorry for my brief hiatus from the blog.  I was out of town at a bridal shower and we had grand plans for cooking upon my return home last night, but after a 5 1/2 hour long bus ride (which usually takes about 4 hours), motivation was lacking.  So we ordered Indian.  But now that I am back I promise that I will come up with some new posts pronto - starting right now.  Get excited because we have some fun dishes planned for later in the week (Indian, Latin, etc.).  Well, I think they are fun but some of you might disagree.  I also have a guest post/recipe from Alex!  But more on that later in the week...

Anyway, I know that this sounds like a very random assortment of ingredients - eggs, asparagus, prosciutto, Parmesan cheese and soba noodles.  But somehow it works.  And it's not nearly as random as the Fatty Cue Brussels Sprouts I made a week ago.  I don't know why this recipe works.  I really can't think of what makes it work.  I guess it's not rocket science and it would probably work just as well with spaghetti rather than soba noodles, but I enjoyed the slightly nutty flavor and chewier texture of the soba noodles.  The recipe does call for a lot of pots and pans, but it comes together very quickly and is a perfect easy weeknight meal.  There is very little prep work and the entire dish goes from fridge to table in about 20 minutes.  So that is a huge argument in its favor.  It's not the most amazing pasta or soba dish, but it is solid.  As a side note, I prefer a regularly and gently cooked sunny-side up egg to the way this recipe calls for cooking the egg.  I felt like the whites cooked perfectly this way, but the yolk was just a hair past being property runny (where the yolks are sticky and gooey, rather than runny and saucy).

Recipe after the jump!

Roasted Asparagus with Capers and Eggs

For some reason I was at the gym at a spinning class today and it occurred to me that I should make this recipe.  I knew that in at least one of my many cookbooks there was a recipe for roast asparagus with capers and finely chopped hard boiled eggs.  There is also a recipe in my Momofuku cookbook for Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Miso Butter, but somehow the miso butter just didn't sound appetizing tonight.  Since we were building our dinner around the cornbread I wanted to make the miso butter really didn't fit in with the flavor profile I was going for.  But I think I will definitely serve that as my next asparagus and egg experiment.  I liked this asparagus a lot.  Then again, I always like asparagus.  Roasting the asparagus made it nice and nutty.  I liked the red wine vinegar flavor of the vinaigrette, balanced out by the richness of the chopped egg whites and yolks and the brine of the capers.  It's not the most amazing asparagus ever, but I think that it was nice and fresh.  And is a welcome addition to my asparagus repertoire now that asparagus season is about to hit.

Recipe after the jump!

Mediterranan Roast Shrimp and Israeli Couscous with Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas

Sorry guys!  I know we disappeared for awhile, but it's not my fault!  We were in FL for 5 days for a good friends' wedding and before that my Dad was in town visiting so we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off.  I had this post prepped and almost ready to go, but never had any time to sit down and finish it!  Alex and I went to Costco a few weekends ago and bought the world's largest bag of asparagus and some really nice looking tiger prawns.  So I had to figure out something to do with them for dinner that night.  I found the couscous recipe first and then decided that we would make some sort of simple Mediterranean shrimp to serve alongside the couscous. 

Ever since discovering how easy it is to roast shrimp, it has become one of my favorite methods of preparing shrimp.  I love sauteing and stir-frying shrimp too, but sometimes it's really nice to just throw it in the oven while you get the rest of the meal ready and not have to pay any attention to it.  Here we tossed the shrimp with garlic, evoo, butter, crushed red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and some toasted coriander and fennel seeds.  I got the idea to use the coriander and fennel seeds from Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer.  We have made other variations similar to shrimp scampi with just the evoo, garlic, butter and crushed red pepper flakes, but we have never added any other spices before.  Surprisingly enough, both Alex and I really enjoyed the coriander and fennel seeds.  I say surprisingly enough because Alex tends not to like fennel seeds (although he likes them more than caraway seeds, which he absolutely hates).  In the future I would probably crush them a little more finely than I did here because I did have one or two bites where I essentially had a mouthful of fennel seeds.  Which completely blows out your tastebuds.  But the combination of flavors was really interesting and one I would make again.  You could play with all manner of herbs and seasonings with this general recipe.

I thought that the couscous recipe was interesting.  It was a nice way to get some vegetables into your diet.  And since I love asparagus and sugar snap peas, it was great to serve them in the same dish.  I don't really like peas so I left them out entirely.  This recipe vaguely reminds me of the Disappearing Zucchini Orzo that Alex and I make from time to time.  I'm not sure which one I like better, although in some ways I might prefer the orzo to the Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend that we used here.  I feel like the orzo absorbs more of the flavor from the veggies than the couscous does.  I also thought that I have had better Israeli couscous recipes, including this recipe for Toasted Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Parsley.  But with all of those things said, I think it is a really nice side and one that I would make again.  I'm curious to see how the leftover couscous will taste cold or at room temperature.  In some ways I think it would make an excellent picnic or potluck dish, rather than a hot side dish.

Recipes after the jump!

Hanger Steak with Roast Vegetables and Romesco Sauce

Tonight's dinner was a slam dunk.  I loved it.  There might not be words enough to describe how much I enjoyed it.  And I can't even think of a single thing I would change about it - which is absolutely unheard of.  I rarely hit this kind of high with steak.  I like steak.  I like it a lot.  But I have never been a steak and potatoes type of girl.  Generally I find seafood much more appealing and inspiring.  But that might be about to change.  I might now be a hanger steak type of girl.  I rarely buy hanger steak.  I'm not sure why that is, but I tend to stick to skirt steak over hanger steak.  I think that is generally because skirt steak is easier to find, and often cheaper than hanger steak.  Any decently well-stocked butcher will have skirt steak, but not all have hanger steak.  I have heard that is due to the fact that there is only one hanger steak per animal, but who knows.  Both hanger steak and skirt steak come from the cow's diaphragm, and both are incredibly flavorful, but not especially tender.  You have to cook them quickly over high heat, and cook them no more than medium-rare for maximum tenderness.  

The hanger steak had so much flavor that it didn't even need the romesco sauce, which I had originally intended to be served with both the vegetables and the steak.  However, the vinegary, spicy bite of the romesco did a wonderful job of cutting through the richness of the meat.  It also paired very well with the simple roast asparagus, red onion and cherry tomatoes.  I will admit that the roast red onion might not be for everyone - if you aren't an onion lover you are going to want to either substitute Vidalia onions or omit the onions entirely.  But since I love onions, yum.  Love it.

Recipes after the jump!

Stir-Fried Sugar Snap Peas with Chinese Sausage

I have a bad habit of buying far too much produce anytime I hit the farmers' market or the grocery store in early summer.  Everything just looks so fresh and delicious.  Even though our fridge was already full to the brim, I couldn't resist buying some more fresh asparagus and sugar snap peas, as well as a gigantic daikon, at the farmers' market behind the Museum of Natural History on Sunday.  So today for lunch I had to figure out how to use some of that produce.  This was the result.  We had to modify the recipe somewhat because it called for far too much liquid, but I am modifying the recipe even further here so the sauce thickens up even more.

The flavors were really good here.  I loved the combination of the sweet Chinese sausage and the sugar snap peas and asparagus.  You have to be really careful not to overcook the vegetables because then they will just be mushy and gross.  Part of the beauty of this dish is tasting the rich, savory and sweet sausage balanced against the fresh crisp vegetables.

Recipe after the jump!

Eggs "Benedict" with Asparagus and Prosciutto

While in Aruba I got in a conversation with friends about how I am intimidated by hollandaise.  I'm not really sure at this point why I stay away from hollandaise in my kitchen, I just know that I have yet to make eggs benedict at home, because it would require me to make hollandaise sauce.  I've always heard that hollandaise is hard to make - it breaks, you have to whisk it by hand over a saucepan of gently simmering water, etc.  Then I realized, if you're going the home cook version, you can also make hollandaise in a blender.  Genius!  But when I told Alex that we were going to make the hollandaise for our eggs benedict in a blender he shamed me into doing it the old-fashioned way.  Well, really he shamed himself into it because I refused to be the one standing over the saucepan of gently simmering water whisking away.  Instead, Alex had to whisk the eggs into submission while I commentated.  And for the record, the first batch of hollandaise we made broke.  So we had to start over.  See?  I had reason to stay away - hollandaise is finicky!  But in the end, particularly once you know what you are looking for, it's not hard to make.  Basically, we learned that the hollandaise goes from thin, to thick, to thickest - almost the consistency of aioli or homemade mayonnaise.  Stop once you get to that really thick point, otherwise your sauce might break and end up a buttery, liquidy mess.  It just requires some knowledge, babysitting and arm muscle.

I decided to top my eggs benedict with asparagus and prosciutto rather than smoked salmon, or the more traditional ham.  And I decided to serve it on toasted crusty sourdough from Amy's Breads.  Alex and I both agreed that we loved the sourdough in our version of eggs benedict.  It soaked up the runny egg yolks and the hollandaise sauce without getting mushy, and it gave the dish great flavor.  Also, this hollandaise was lighter (overall it was just less heavy and rich) and more lemon-y than most I have tasted.  I know a lot of recipes call for either vinegar or lemon juice and I have to say that with the asparagus I loved the noticeable lemon flavor of our hollandaise.  The proscuitto added just the right note of rich, salty, porky goodness - without it I think the dish would have been missing something.  As much as I loved this dish, I think we will probably only make it once every 6 months or so because it requires so many pots and pans and a good amount of effort.  But it was delicious.

Recipe after the jump!

Roast Asparagus

Asparagus is and always has been one of my favorite vegetables.  During the spring I make it in every way possible.  Once asparagus is no longer in season I move onto zucchini and summer squash.  But while asparagus is in season I eat it as often as I can.  One of my favorite things about asparagus is that you can simply roast it in a cast iron pan with evoo, s&p - sometimes sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano, and sometimes not, and it always tastes amazing.  You can do essentially the same thing with a grill, but I think the asparagus tastes even better in a cast iron pan.

Recipe after the jump!

Pasta with Asparagus Pesto

I was reading the NY Times Dining & Wine section the other day and came across the strangest recipe on Mark Bittman's blog for Asparagus Pesto.  I have heard of all sorts of pestos before - sun-dried tomato pesto, pesto genovese (the traditional basil-based pesto that everyone is used to), arugula pesto, etc.  But I have never heard of asparagus pesto.  And then I figured, what the heck.  I love asparagus.  And right now since asparagus coming into season it is everywhere, as are recipes and suggestions on how to cook it.  As much as I love asparagus, grilling it can get old, as can lightly steaming it and serving it with a mustard vinaigrette like my mom does.  I love her asparagus.  Lately I have a bookmarked a few new asparagus recipes to try while I am feasting on one of my favorite seasonal produce items of the year.  This was one of the first of my new recipes that I tried out and I am a huge fan.  Mark Bittman's recipe was just for the pesto itself, but the idea of mixing it with pasta was an elementary one.  We tossed the pesto with some cooked asparagus spears and strascinati pasta that we bought at Zabar's.  As an alternative, I would recommend tossing it with gemelli or another similarly-shaped pasta.

The asparagus pesto was much subtler and more delicately flavored than most typical pestos made from basil.  The addition of the lemon juice brightens it all up and just reminds me again how much asparagus tastes like spring to me.

Recipe after the jump!