For years and years, I had 2 favorite foods: watermelon and asparagus. I have a watermelon recipe that I’ll share with you during that season, but for now we’ve got to focus on asparagus. After all, it’s spring! I’m not especially fond of the asparagus spears the size of a pencil. I want robust stalks, up to a 1/2 inch in diameter. They have the most flavor. I roast them in the oven, I’ll fry them in a fry pan, I add them to omelets, I love them in stir-fry.
I know the Spanish invented Tapas, but I think with our family’s love of hors d’ouerves, we probably just missed the opportunity of copyrighting them and beating them to the punch. Whether you call them hors d’ouerves, appetizers, or nibbles, I love a spread of options. I want to go down the buffet table and take one or two small bites of everything that looks even marginally nummy. Then I’ll go back and take a few more of what really appealed to me. I don’t want to be caught throwing something away and perhaps hurting someone’s feelings. I have advanced Norwegian guilt, thank you very much.
This is another treat from mom’s recipe box. She made this frequently. Now don’t laugh, but I love these in my breakfast omelets with a few grape tomatoes halved. So, you don’t have to worry about leftovers. They are great in green salads. The blanching you give them keeps the asparagus fiercely green. Next time I may try this with black sesame seeds. I bet it would give it a totally different look, maybe a little on the exotic side. I think it’s time to start planning my next cocktail party.
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
3 tablespoons vinegar: apple cider, white or rice wine
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons soy sauce
Salt to taste
1 to 1 ½ pounds asparagus, cut into 1 ½ inch lengths.
Heat oil and sesame seeds together until light brown. Add vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and salt, mix together.
Blanch asparagus until just tender yet still crisp. Pour sauce over asparagus, mix and refrigerate.
* From the Recipe Box:
This is a light and springy appetizer that mom made as long as she was able to get fresh asparagus.
Silver bowls with asparagus, Hazel nuts and dried cherries are the perfect nibble.
and remember what Mark Twain said: 20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do then by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Big kiss, Lynn
From the Recipe Box 