On our drive through the Eastern Shore last weekend, we were lured into a little farm market in Maryland with a handwritten roadside sign stating: FRESH ASPARAGUS (insert arrow pointing this way!) Two to three pounds of asparagus and a little cookbook later, we were back on the road with lots of talk about what we could do with our newest green friends. In the end, I went two different routes:
I steamed a handful of them (although grilling would have been a bit more tasty) to chop and add to our Black Bean Couscous Salad. This recipe is a staple at our house...a side that has become a main dish. It's fun to toss in new ingredients, and it always tastes great! By the way, while we love black beans, I prefer to use only one can per batch rather than the two listed in the recipe. I also made it a few weeks ago, and added grilled, chopped broccolini stems -- crunchy and delicious!
The rest became a delicious Creamy Asparagus Soup from an issue of Cook's Country (a.k.a. country version of America's Test Kitchen). (BTW- Since it's a subscriber-only website, I found a lady that had blogged about it and written the recipe so that I could avoid typing it for you...how lazy of me!) Shaun nearly used a straw to take down his bowl as quickly as possible! I loved the taste, but it was a bit too stringy/pulpy for me. Part of the reason may have been that I used my immersion blender instead of the food processor, but I think it still would have lacked that velvety smooth feel I was going for. Maybe I could strain it next time? I'm so excited about a full summer of fresh food experiments to come!
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