5 Asparagus Tips From Purchase to Plate

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables, probably because my father served it every spring when I was growing up. He would simply boil the stalks for a few minutes, 'til tender, and toss them in light balsamic vinaigrette to add a mild acidic tang. It was such a simple, delicious dish! As a restaurant chef now, allow me to share some basic asparagus tips:

1. Shopping for Asparagus: Springtime is the best time for asparagus, especially if you live in the northern U.S. where the first warmth of the season produces the first asparagus harvest. Look for firm, clean, straight stalks when shopping. Wobbly stalks are a telltale sign of old asparagus. I personally prefer the light crunch of green "pencil" (smaller) asparagus to quickly sauté or grill.

2. Preparation: I don't break off the bottom of the stalks and/or peel thinner asparagus before cooking. I prefer to use a kitchen scissor to cut only the very bottom stump from the stalk; breaking it off causes more of the bottom to go to waste. With pencil asparagus, the stalks are too thin to peel. Peeling also removes flavor, texture, and protection for the inside flesh during cooking. For larger asparagus, I do peel the stalk, but not the top two inches.

3. Recipe 1: I like asparagus al dente, in other words, slightly crunchy. An easy way to cook asparagus is to boil them in heavily salted water (a 6 ounce serving of asparagus will cook al dente in boiling water in about 3 - 4 minutes; add enough salt after the water boils so that it tastes like mild sea water), transfer the stalks to an ice bath, dry the stalks, and then serve them whole, drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. I will admit, I also love heavier sauces like a fluffy Hollandaise or Sabayon with paprika.

4. Recipe 2: Roasting also works wonders. Drawing the water from the stalks by roasting them leaves you with the purest asparagus taste. Lightly coat the stalks with olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them evenly across a baking sheet. Place them in a 450ºF oven for only a few minutes, turning them about half way through the roasting process. I am always a fan of adding acid to vegetables to give them that extra kick on the palette. I find that balsamic vinegar, fresh orange, and fresh lemon juice pair especially well with asparagus. Be careful to add any acid immediately before serving because acid will oxidize any green vegetable and turn it brown if left on too long.

5. Storing: Fresh asparagus should be kept refrigerated, and if stored properly, should last about one week or more. Placing the stalks upright in a cup of water (as you would a bouquet of flowers) can extend its shelf life.

While asparagus is more expensive than many other green vegetables because of the time and labor that goes into growing and harvesting it, the cost is well worth it, if you put as much love into preparing the asparagus as your local farmer does raising it.