Asparagus

Okay, okay. I know it's been awhile, but I have been a busy girl. But just because I've been busy, doesn't mean I haven't been trying some new foods. So while I was on blog hiatus, but not food hiatus, I have been experimenting with some more vegetables - shocking, I know. Let me introduce you to asparagus, the starring food of this post. 

Asparagus is another one of those foods that has amazing characteristics. It is low cal, has no cholesterol, and is very low in sodium. But it has nutrients to boot - fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, potassium, iron, folate, and the list goes on and on. Asparagus is also an exceptional source of fiber.

Despite all these great qualities, asparagus has always been one of the scarier vegetables that comes to mind. Sure, I can do lettuce, spinach, even broccoli now, but asparagus is a whole different animal. It's got flowering parts and has these thorny looking parts on it. It just looks weird, which of course, makes it scary. It is ironic though that it's not necessarily the look of it that has always scared me. I think back to the first time I ever lived on the wild side and tried asparagus. It was 2007, and I was in Seattle with my parents and my brother Billy. I know, it is shocking that I never tried asparagus prior to 2007, but my parents never had asparagus around. I was talking with my mom about asparagus, and I was shocked when she said she liked it. I asked her why we never had it growing up, and her answer was simple - it was too expensive. Her excuse was legitimate - asparagus can be somewhat expensive because growing it is not exactly a process conducive to mass production. With five kids to feed, it's no wonder asparagus never made it to our plates as kids. 

So anyway, one night while we were in Seattle, we dined at this amazing seafood restaurant on the wharf, the name of which now escapes me. Regardless, I had this dish, but I can't tell you what kind of seafood I had. What I remember was this sauce and the asparagus - go figure. The asparagus was really good, and mixed with the orange runny sauce, it was to die for. So yes, my first true taste of asparagus was successful. So why didn't I ever try it again after that? The answer is two-pronged: First, the things I was eating weren't usually accompanied with healthy things such as asparagus, and second, I suck at cooking. Back then, the extent of my cooking was cooking microwave style. But since embarking on this new food adventure, I have been experimenting with the stove, our grill, and, yes, pots and pans!

So prior to a couple of weeks ago, I had attempted a few times to make asparagus, with poor results. I would grill them with our chicken or steaks, and they would always come out totally overdone. I attribute this in large part to simply leaving the asparagus on the grill too long, but I just couldn't figure out how to cook it without the stalks coming out soggy. So after talking with some friends, I attempted to cook asparagus a different way. 

But before I talk about the new and improved way of cooking asparagus, I have to take a side trip. The reason for this side trip is to explain that before you can master the art of cooking asparagus, you first have to master the art of buying asparagus. Buying asparagus can be somewhat tricky, in large part because you have to make sure it's not too old (the stalks will look flattened or wrinkled and will feel hollow). You also want to make sure that the tips are tightly closed (not flowering) and the stalks as a general matter appear bright green and firm. Then there's the whole issue of thickness, which is a matter of personal taste. When I bought asparagus the first few times, I was always buying the thicker stalks, which I have since learned I don't really care for. I like thin, bright green and crisp stalks. Unfortunately, the only place I can seem to find the thin variety is at the farmer's market, which is fine, but means I have to make it to one every week to find my asparagus. 

So once I managed to buy a good bunch of asparagus, I embarked on cooking it. Instead of grilling the asparagus on our gas grill, I attempted to cook the stalks in a pan. In a skillet, I heated a tablespoon of olive oil and freshly ground salt and pepper. Once the skillet was hot, I cooked the asparagus until the stalks were hot to the touch - this took maybe five minutes tops. In retrospect, it's no wonder our asparagus was always soggy - we were grilling them in oil for 20+ minutes! So when I sat down to eat my asparagus, I was pleasantly surprised. The stalks were hot, crisp and crunchy, not soggy. The olive oil and salt and pepper were a perfect seasoning for the asparagus - light flavor without disguising the great flavor of the asparagus. Since mastering the art of cooking asparagus, I have incorporated it into my weekly diet. Now that I've managed to bring broccoli and asparagus into my diet, I am no longer limited to getting my daily intake of vegetables from salad. Variety is a great thing, my friends. 

Some fun facts about asparagus:

1. Asparagus has a lot of antioxidants, one of which is rutin. Rutin plays an important role in making blood vessels stronger. Thus, rutin is great if you have varicose veins, high blood pressure, poor circulation, or broken capillaries. 
2. I have since learned that storing asparagus requires a little bit more than throwing it in your vegetable drawer in a plastic bag. You should really store asparagus like you would flowers - upright in a glass with an inch of water. You should also wrap a plastic bag around the tips to keep them moist. You can refrigerate it for up to 4 days. 
3. Ladies, listen up. Asparagus contains Vitamin B6, which is known for its role in converting food into energy. But Vitamin B6 also helps reduce the symptoms of PMS, and the nausea of early pregnancy. Because ingesting too much of the vitamin via supplements can be toxic, you should stick to getting it from eating asparagus. 
4. Asparagus is one of the oldest documented vegetables, and is found in some of the oldest cookbooks. However, no one liked asparagus as much as the Romans. Romans saw asparagus as a sign of elegance and wealth. In fact, Roman emperors loved asparagus so much that they had a fleet of runners who could fetch it at a moment's notice. 

Sources:

1. 101 Healthiest Foods: A quick and easy guide to the fruits, vegetables, carbs and proteins that can save your life, Dr. Joanna McMillan Price and Judy Davie (2009).
2. Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook, Martha Stewart and Sarah Carey (2008).
3. About.com - History of Asparagus
4. Wikipedia - Asparagus