We have grown an asparagus bed at our place for 23 years now, although still going strong it is getting older. We still harvest about 8-10 pounds per year from late May till late June. You only want to harvest for about 2 weeks and let the rest go to seed. It helps to strengthen your plants as well as proliferate the stock. This year we harvested about 9 pounds.
After 2 weeks cutting, let it go to seed
We usually eat about 1 or 2 batches of fresh steamed with meals, blanching/freezing the rest for the coming winter. This year we decided to try a few other meals with it. We may still blanch/freeze some, but just not as much. We tried 6 new meals this spring. Asparagus lends itself well to many recipes, especially those with cheese. These are the favorites of those that whet our whistle.
Ham Asparagus Quiche
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1-pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally (1-inch)
¾ cup chopped ham
1 Tbsp thinly sliced garlic
6 large eggs
¼ cup whole milk
¼ cup half-and-half
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
1 Tbsp stone-ground mustard
¼ tsp ground pepper
⅛ tsp salt
1 ½ cups shredded Emmenthal or Swiss cheese
Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil, swirl to coat. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add asparagus; cook, stirring often, until the asparagus is tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add ham and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the ham is lightly browned and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Whisk eggs, milk, half-and-half, chives, mustard, pepper and salt in a medium bowl. Fold in the asparagus mixture and cheese. Spoon into the prepared pie pan. Bake until set and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Slice and garnish with additional chives, if desired. Good for 2 days.
Asparagus Casserole
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
½ cup panko breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat
3 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup chopped ham
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
5 ounces cream cheese
½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 450°F. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Set a large bowl of ice water near the stove. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl in the microwave, about 30 seconds. Stir in panko; set aside.
Cook asparagus in the boiling water until bright green, about 1 minute. Drain and transfer to the ice bath. Let cool for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry. Arrange the asparagus in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Heat the pot over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and stir until melted. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ham and simmer 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Continue cooking and whisking until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese, mozzarella and salt. Pour the cheese sauce over the asparagus and stir to coat. Watch the amount of wet ingredients. You want it firm, not sloppy.
Sprinkle the reserved panko mixture on top. Bake until the asparagus is tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
Crunchy Asparagus Fries
This is a family favorite since we started our own asparagus bed years ago. You cannot harvest till the 3rd year and still the stalks are pretty thin. We used this to our advantage. You can use more mature spears, but they don't cook as evenly.
1 Tbsp garlic salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan cheese
Dipping sauce of choice
Preheat oven to 500F. Lay spears onto pre-greased baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic salt. Place into hot oven and roast for 5 minutes. Remove, turn over, drizzle more olive oil, garlic salt, and parmesan. Repeat for 5 more minutes. Remove, let cool and enjoy with other finger foods. Great with a ranch, blue cheese or dip of choice.
Ricotta Gnocchi With Spring Vegetables
1 package potato gnocchi
1-pound fresh asparagus
1 cup Ricotta cheese
½ cup peas
½ cup leeks
1 cup chopped ham shoulder or SPAM
1 tsp salt n pepper each
4 Tbsp butter
½ Tbsp ground basil
1 large egg, whisked
1 tsp lemon juice
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Cook gnocchi according to directions, drain. Cut asparagus into 1” pieces, discarding woody stems. In a saucepan over medium low heat add ricotta, butter, basil, whisked egg, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Stir well, attending.
In drained gnocchi saucepan over medium low heat add peas, leeks, pork, and asparagus, stir. Serve with gnocchi mix topped with Ricotta Sauce and serve warm.
Potato Mushroom Asparagus Hash
1 pound new or baby potatoes, scrubbed/diced or bag of frozen
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut in 1/2-inch pieces
4 oz shiitake mushroom caps or other mushrooms, sliced
2-4 eggs, if desired
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
½ cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed
1 Tbspn minced fresh sage
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Fresh chives for garnish
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large (not nonstick) skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus, mushrooms, shallot, garlic, and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a plate.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add onion and the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits with a metal spatula, until the potatoes are browned, 4 to 8 minutes. If frozen this may take longer. Return the asparagus mixture to the pan along with roasted red pepper, sage, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute more. Serve sprinkled with chives, if desired. Delicious with a fried egg on top.
Spring Green Asparagus Chicken Soup
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 cans canned, chopped chicken
2 medium fresh from the woods leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 chopped yukon gold taters, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp ground pepper, plus more for serving
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (5 ounce) package baby spinach
2 Tbsp ground parsley
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks, onion and celery to the pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits, until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add broth, salt and pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and spinach; cook until the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes more.
Add chicken to the soup. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and Parmesan. Serve the soup topped with more pepper and Parmesan, if desired.
"Government has to be cut back like asparagus... every day... or it gets away and goes to seed. Ours did. When there's too much of it, the flower becomes a weed"
Paul Harvey
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