A for asparagus

Working alphabetically seemed like a good idea - but way too structured for me to be effective. Comes from having a creative mind, I guess. So instead, I just keep throwing things at the book, hoping they'll stick.

This week it's all about asparagus. Why? Because their adorable little heads are peeking up through the soil in my garden. And there's nothing in the world as fabulous as fresh, really fresh, asparagus.

In my world the worst thing you can do to asparagus is overcook it. The best thing you can do is harvest it, give it a quick steam and then a light sprinkling of salt just before it goes in your mouth - all in under 15 minutes. The joys of being a gardening spoiled brat.

But I do sometimes have to purchase asparagus from our local asparagus lady. She's a great woman of European heritage and has been selling asparagus from her barn for as long as I've lived in this area. Her asparagus is genius.

She and I have debated long and energetically the value of fat versus skinny asparagus. My fussy daughter prefers the skinny ones; my lovely European lady says the fat ones are the best. And I can see why - more flavour, more crunch. So to meet the needs of my daughter, I take the vegetable peeler to it - take off some of the woody outside. It makes an interesting presentation (green heads, white stalks) and really showcases the flavour.

Asparagus is tops in so many vitamins and minerals. A positive spring addition to your supper table. Whether cold in a salad (too yummy) or warm with butter or sauce, asparagus is beyond delicious.

Grab some asparagus and experiment. A quick asparagus salad would be built with these very loose instructions:

Boil water, add cleaned asparagus, let water come back to a boil. Drain immediately and rinse asparagus with cold water to stop cooking. (This just takes the raw edge off the flavour but leaves the asparagus green and crisp) Toss the asparagus in your favourite vinagrette (or create one with lemon juice, sugar, salt and oil). Add your favourite salad vegies - radishes, carrots, blanched green beans, etc. It's an exciting change from a regular leafy green salad.

Be kitchen brave! Eat well!