Peak Season: Asparagus

Peak Season: Asparagus

If you wish you had more ideas of what to do with the abundance of Washington asparagus now in the markets, we hope you attended last night’s peak season asparagus class. Hot Stove Society Instructor Bridget Charters, assisted by Hot Stove Society Chef Tim Voss, was at the ready with a ton of asparagus ideas. Did you know you should snap off the ends of thin asparagus, but you can peel the ends of the thick asparagus to make them tender and delicious? This technique for fat asparagus yields long lovely spears that look extra beautiful on the platter. Save the peels for stock and make an asparagus risotto!

Bridget and Tim
Bridget and Tim

It’s not difficult to roast or grill asparagus, but Bridget knows how to get the most from these techniques. She roasts or grills to the exact moment of tenderness, then pours over a fresh lemon and olive oil vinaigrette to be soaked up by the still-warm stalks. Brilliant!

Another great idea you might not have thought of is to shave raw asparagus then toss it with Parmesan, lemon juice, and olive oil for a salad that sings of spring! Bridget advised us that we could top the salad with grilled chicken breasts and call it dinner.

Plating the soup
Plating the soup

We enjoyed tastes of everything, of course: such as the silkiest asparagus soup, asparagus bruschetta, and delightful asparagus bundles wrapped in prosciutto. Meanwhile we were regaled with information about how to plant and grow asparagus, what white asparagus is, how they eat wild asparagus in Italy (in a frittata), and a story about the time a very young Bridget ruined the asparagus risotto she made for Lorenza De’ Medici!

Crawford Farm asparagus
Crawford Farm asparagus

It didn’t hurt that Hot Stove Society has access to lots and lots of Crawford Farm asparagus at the peak of seasonal deliciousness. (Crawford is a neighbor to our own Prosser Farm.)

Our next peak season class is “What to Cook for Dinner,” June 1. There are just a few spots available, so jump on it if you want to learn to cook with the season.