Meatless Mondays: asparagus

It's finally feeling like Spring around here, which makes me crave food that hasn't been stored for months -- or transported long distances.  What better food to celebrate the end of winter than asparagus?  Barbara Kingsolver, in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, devotes pages to how the first pokings of her asparagus plants each year heralded the beginning of a new season of planting and eating well.  I have not yet tried to grow asparagus in my sad roof garden, but I might work up the courage to do so this year since I love the vegetable so much. 

Picture from http://foodtruthonline.com/tag/asparagus-recipe

Asparagus is a healthy way to celebrate Spring.  It's very low in calories:  only 20 per 1/2 cup cooked serving.  It's a good source of fiber; vitamins A, C, and K; and folate.  The grassy spear also contributes iron, potassium, copper, manganese, and selenium.  It is low in fat and even has 2.2 grams of protein per serving.  White asparagus, which is asparagus that has been grown under mounds of dirt, which prevents the pigment chlorophyll from turning the spear green, is just as nutritious.  Disclaimer:  it's hard to find nutrition information on white asparagus, which is more common in Europe than in the US.  It might have fewer antioxidants due to its lack of pigment.  Many of the phytochemicals that give vegetables color also contribute to their nutritional value.

(As for the funny urine smell that asparagus causes, did you know that some people don't create the smell, some do, some can smell the stink, and others can't?  In other words, there are 2 genes involved in the smelly urine.  You could be a smelly-pee person but lack the gene to notice the smell.  Scientists think the smell comes from the way the body digests and processes as yet unidentified sulfuric compounds.) 

If you don't grow your own, look for firm stalks with tightly closed tips.  If the stalks are ridged or the bottoms look like old bamboo, the asparagus is probably old and won't be as tasty.  I've read that you should store your asparagus the way you would flowers:  take the rubber band off and stick them in an inch of water in a tall glass just as you'd put your daffodils in a vase.  I haven't tried that yet, have any of you? I rarely have asparagus around long enough to get old, but I like to give the stalks a rinse, wrap in a damp paper towel, then put into a plastic bag in the fridge.  As for the fibrous stalks, I use the bend and break method, unless I want all of my pieces to be the same length.  If you bend the stalk, it should break off right above the most woody part.  It's not always pretty and does seem a bit wasteful, but it generally works.  When I'm trying to be fancy or want a nicer presentation, I peel the bottom 3-4 inches of the stalks.   

Some people prefer reed-thin asparagus, but I like the thicker stalks, which are from older plants.  I find them sweeter and more flavorful than the skinny ones.  Some of my favorite ways to eat asparagus are roasted, pureed into soup, grilled, with Gruyere cheese in a savory tart or quiche, or lightly steamed and chopped into a salad.  I've also had shaved, raw asparagus, although I confess to preferring this vegetable cooked.  What's your favorite asparagus recipe?  Do you like white asparagus or find it just a bit blah?  I've seen pictures of purple asparagus but have never seen it in a store to buy.  What's it like?