 There
was a time when many people would turn their noses up at asparagus,
primarily because this vegetable was rubbery, stringy and cooked to
a soft stage and a muted color. Eeeeek! Today however, asparagus is
a most-sought-after vegetable. But you still have to know how to prepare,
cook, and serve it to achieve the most appetizing results.
The
first asparagus are usually harvested during the warm, wet days
of spring and continue into early summer. Fortunately, however,
fresh asparagus are now available almost all year long, particularly
in specialty food markets where they are brought in from all over
the world. Their availability has helped make them an increasingly
popular vegetable. Even more so, the ease of preparation has added
to the vegetable's desirability.
The
most common form of asparagus is green or green with hues of purple,
or white (grown underground to prevent greening). Asparagus is a
welcome vegetable for hot-weather cooking. A member of the lily
family, this pretty vegetable takes almost no time to cook. 
Asparagus
is rich in vitamin A with some iron and a fair amount of B and C
vitamins. Stalks turn a bright apple green when cooked, so they
add to the kaleidoscope of color on your plate. Texture is provided
by the painterly look of their brush-like tips; and their vertical,
uniform cut provides a sleek, but dimensional, culinary fashion
statement on your plate. You may often hear, "It took me a long
time to appreciate asparagus, but now I love them." Sound familiar?
|
