Oyster sauce and chili crisp, that’s an excellent idea. Maybe I’ll throw in some tofu.
Do you peel it? I have been a fanatic about this since I first read about it in one of Julia Childs’ books. It cooks so much faster that way, and you get that perfect crisp/tender texture.
I snap the stalks and use the fibrous ends in vegetable stock.
Harold McGee has a tip on shaving the fibrous parts with a Benriner, but given that I’m falling 2-3 bunches behind supply, I haven’t gotten around to trying it.
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Maybe pickled or brined for a change of pace? Would be good with summer salads.
I don’t peel it. Although I recently started peeling celery in my tuna salad and liked it… Perhaps next spring I’ll give a go because Fatty ones tend to come out first and then the rest of the season it’s all skinny ones…
Got a smallish amount of baby bok choy in a CSA box so I added a bunch of asparagus. Excellent idea. I would have added tofu but we were out. Used this recipe minus the sugar (oyster sauce has plenty.)
GO GOOD!! Asparagus has a flavor that is atypical of stirfry and it works SO WELL. Another one I love it with is with Chinese Brown Gravy… especially with crisp stirfied noodles…
This is a basic recipe, but I always add Ginger and White Pepper…
I also skip out on the Sugar from most Asian Recipes…
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How do you peel asparagus and celery?
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Why do you peel celery (assuming you are not talking about celery root) ? And green asparagus (especially thinner ones) doesn’t need to be peeled - just cut off the bottom inch. For white asparagus you should peel the bottom 2-3 inches (you can use the peels for asparagus broth)
If celery has a lot of fibrous strings, you can peel them off.
The French commonly peel the fat end of asparagus stalks on the theory that the centers are tender.
Some asparagus stalks are good all the way to the bottom. Some are fibrous half the way up or more. So cutting off an arbitrary lengtth of the bottom doesn’t make much sense.
It’s educational to steam whole stalks of asparagus (notsnapped, triimed, or peeled) and see how much variation there is as to how much is fibrous.
how much to peel asparagus depends on the width and the age of the stalk. I cut off the tip and peel the stalk anywhere from half to two thirds of the way up. Peeled asparagus cooks much faster than unpeeled so be forewarned. Julia Childs liked to quote an old Roman adage, “As quick as you can cook asparagus” to describe her love of perfectly done asparagus. She recommended tying string around both ends of an asparagus bundle and using the string to lift it out of the water. When the ends sagged even a tiny bit it was done. That’s a little too fussy in my book, so I eyeball it.
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Likely past the annual CSA asparagus inundation, but this looks good (and meets the “beyond the basics” requirement, too!):
Meera Sodha's vegan recipe for asparagus thoran | Food | The Guardian
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Okay, old as dirt, but could you walk me through this please?
Steam, boil, or grill 1-1/2 lbs. asparagus. Make a vinaigrette with
- 2 tablespoons Dijon
- 2 tablespoons good wine vinegar
- salt to taste
- minced shallot (optional)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
If you use the shallot, mix everything but the olive oil together and let it sit for ten minutes or more before mixing in the olive oil.
Pour the dressing over the warm, room temperature, or cold asparagus. Optionally garnish with hard-boiled eggs and/or minced chives.
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Thanks a gazillion! I planted a bunch of herbs in boxes last year. The chives are really happy, others not nearly as much.
You’re in Seattle, right? I had a great version of this at Le Pichet a couple weeks ago, they put a soft-boiled egg on top.
“Asperges de notre région, vinaigrette et œuf mollet
Yakima asparagus served warm with shallot-leek-tarragon vinaigrette and a soft boiled egg”
(Sorry, this is after half-eaten)
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Oh my goodness. Just looked at their menu. Thanks sooooo much. We’re in our 70s so tend to prefer lunches and that menu looks great also. Do you live in Seattle?
I’m in SoCal, this was an apartment-hunting trip.
We were really surprised to find an experience like this just a block from Pike Place. Despite its touristy location, it felt more like a neighborhood spot. On a weekday afternoon, we’d walk by and see a smattering of older folks who seemed like regulars. On weekends there’d be larger crowds, of course. But even with an hour wait for a seat at the bar (which we spent wandering the market), the pacing inside was observant and respectful. We felt absolutely unhurried.
The food was quietly good - no headliner ingredients or exotic concepts, just attention to flavor and clean execution. Pricing was so reasonable, especially the charcuterie and drinks. And our apartment hunt ended up heavily influenced by their bread supplier (Grand Central).
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Thanks again. Yes, Pike Place Market can be a mess but weekdays during cruise season may be doable. Again, thanks a ton.
Stay in touch if you want. It’s awfully expensive here as you may know.
Both cities are in the US cost of living top 10, but LA is closer to the top.