Asparagus Spearheads Spring Menus (Restaurants USA, March 1996)

March 1996 issue

Asparagus Spearheads Spring Menus

Restaurants USA magazine's final issue was published in September 2002 but these archived articles remain available for our readers' convenience.

Restaurants USA, March 1996

Put asparagus on the menu to herald the coming of spring and watch your business grow.
By Ethel Hammer

What vegetable is more than 2,000 years old, is a member of the lily family and was a favorite of King Louis XIV of France? That elegant stalk, asparagus.

Asparagus is a spring delicacy enjoyed across America. "Americans eat about 1 pound of asparagus per person per year and have done so consistently since 1986," says Gary Lucier, a vegetable specialist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). To fill consumers' demand, a hefty 204 million pounds of asparagus were produced in America last year.

But the vegetable is also a favorite in many other countries. It's quite at home in Asian cuisine, whether it is steamed, stir-fried or used in a relish over fresh fish. Chinese cooks blend asparagus with egg whites and corn in a soup. Poles have been known to spoon bread crumbs over their szparagi (asparagus). Mexican chefs mix asparagus with eggs and cheese for a sumptuous esparrago con huevo y queso — a great breakfast dish. Bathed in lemon butter, asperges de Woerth (white Woerth asparagus with green tips) is a French treat. The Germans pair their white spargel with dumplings in creamy asparagus sauce or serve the vegetable in stews.

Although aristocratic asparagus is not typically considered a down-home vegetable, Southern cooks have combined asparagus with Cheddar cheese, soda-cracker crumbs and cream of mushroom soup in a comfort-food casserole. Of course, vegetarians find infinite ways to use the spears-in crepes, pasta dishes, salads and souffles. Asparagus pairs nicely with shrimp, salmon, ham, lamb and fowl. Imagine it swimming in a tomato-vodka cream sauce over fusilli or surrounding a vegetable pate as a charlotte. From white-tablecloth restaurants to mom-and-pop operations, restaurateurs can perk up their spring menus by adding asparagus.

A venerable vegetable

Early Greeks believed asparagus could prevent bee stings and stop toothaches, and today its health benefits are still being explored. Asparagus has no fat or cholesterol. It is low in sodium and calories, and high in fiber. It is rich in vitamins A, B1, B6, C and folic acid. All this makes asparagus not only elegant and delicious, but healthy as well.

In my foodservice operation, I don't promote the spears' blue blood — although it was a favorite not only of France's King Louis XIV but also of the Roman Emperor Augustus — because I don't want to intimidate diners. But my customers do like to learn about the foods I serve, so I tell them that the Greeks, Romans, early Egyptians, Syrians and Spaniards treasured asparagus. They also find it fascinating when they learn that asparagus comes in three colors: white, purple and green.

Some of my diners are especially interested in the folklore that propounds asparagus as an aphrodisiac. It is written that Madame de Pompadour counted asparagus mixed with egg yolks — along with vanilla and truffles — among her prized aphrodisiacs. Today's French citizens still devour buttery white spears with unparalleled passion, whatever the reason.

Asparagus' kingly reputation and cost (due to long, delicate growth cycles and stringent shipping requirements) dissuade many restaurateurs from featuring this vegetable on their menus. Asparagus prices have been rising steadily since 1992, according to USDA statistics. In 1995, farmers got $1.12 per pound for fresh asparagus and 58 cents per pound for processed asparagus. However, wholesale prices can fluctuate widely, depending on season, harvest, shipping conditions or even national foodservice-chain promotions.

I toss asparagus onto my menu when prices are lowest and domestic production is the highest, which tends to be in the spring months of March, April and May.

Only an altruist or a masochist heaps asparagus on an all-you-can-eat salad bar, but a little bit can go a long way in revving up the taste of menu items. I add the delicate tips to my breakfast pizza, along with mozzarella cheese, scrambled eggs, sauteed onions, sausage and fried potatoes. I roll spears into my breakfast burritos, where the vegetable fits in well with eggs and Parmesan cheese. I put a spear on top of my pecan pancakes smothered in maple-pecan cream cheese. A few spears artfully tossed into a stir-fry or an omelet along with other ingredients give a dish automatic class without blowing my food cost through the roof. A touch of asparagus signifies quality like a single strand of pearls.

Stalking the perfect spear

Although fresh asparagus is the current craze, that wasn't always the case. "The kind of asparagus we consume has changed over the years. For every pound of asparagus Americans ate in 1995, 60 percent was fresh, 30 percent canned and 10 percent frozen," says the USDA's Lucier. "Twenty years earlier, in 1975, we were eating more asparagus [1.2 pounds compared with 1 pound per person today], but more of it was canned. Asparagus, like peas, beans and corn, is decreasing on the canning side and gaining on the fresh side."

But many people favor the canned variety of the vegetable for its distinctive flavor and texture. I consider canned asparagus the perfect comfort food, rivaling apple sauce, mashed potatoes and chicken soup. Your customers could flip over an asparagus spear served on a tuna-fish sandwich, or a meal of pork chops, mashed potatoes and canned asparagus.

From tiny white spears as slender as matchsticks to deep purple stalks to humongous green spears, asparagus choices abound. California — which produces close to two-thirds of America's fresh asparagus — harvests spears that measure from 3/16 of an inch to ones that stretch to 9 inches. Purple asparagus — only a small part of the market — is a tad sweeter than green. White asparagus may be more bitter, depending on the soil in which it grows. Canned asparagus, most of which is produced in Washington state and Michigan, has an indescribable taste and "mushiness" adored by its fans.

Since fresh purple asparagus is such an unusual "newcomer," you might want to show off its color by preparing it simply in a butter sauce. (Purple asparagus must be cooked with a touch of vinegar or it turns green.) Tiny white canned spears can enhance hors d'oeuvres, salads, pasta dishes, pizzas and garnishes. Large white spears thrive in classical presentations, such as soup, or covered with hollandaise sauce.

Some chefs unjustifiably think that plump spears are tougher than slender ones. Chef Jeremiah Tower laments in his book Jeremiah Tower's New American Classics, "Must we be sentenced to wispy, undernourished, whiplike asparagus because it looks younger?" In fact, asparagus spears emerge from the ground with their full stalk diameter; they do not grow fatter with age — unlike some of us.

Look for spears that appear fresh and not dried out. Stalks should be firm, not limp or flabby. Fresh asparagus snaps immediately. Spears should be fairly straight, with well-formed, tightly closed tips. Keep asparagus covered and refrigerated until use, preferably within two to three days.

Coddle before cooking

Asparagus should be coddled right up until the moment it is cooked. First, I cut 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch off of each stem. Next, I wash the stalks in cold water, dry them gently, wrap them carefully so no moisture gets in and then refrigerate them. To extend freshness for more than a few days, place asparagus stalks upright in a low pan of cold water or wet the ends with a moist paper towel.

The decision whether to peel or not to peel is a matter of culture and taste. The French and Germans peel their asparagus, and they tend to prefer white asparagus, which is tougher. Americans may not peel the vegetable at all or peel only the base. In this country, we seem to use tender green asparagus the most. If you choose to peel asparagus, lay the stalk flat on a cutting board, grab the base of the spear with a cloth and with a vegetable peeler peel downward from below the tip toward the base. Turn until all skin is removed, then cut off the ends. Removing tough skin allows the "butts" to cook as quickly as the tips, and peeling asparagus reduces the vegetable's cooking time.

Fresh asparagus tastes great cooked al dente. Because asparagus cooks quickly, select stalks similar in size so they cook at the same rate. Before cooking, cut or snap off the fibrous ends just at the point where the stalk becomes tender, remove scales and wash carefully.

Asparagus may be cooked in numerous ways. Tie fresh asparagus spears in manageable bundles, stand them upright in a covered steamer with about 11/2 inches of boiling salty water. Or boil spears flat in a large saute pan with about 11/2 inches of water. Stalks may also be blanched in advance, kept cool, then sauteed briefly in salt and butter. Asparagus cooks quickly, and when overcooked, spears become mushy. The cooking time depends on the spears' size and whether you like them crisp, tender or somewhere in between.

Fresh asparagus can also be stir-fried in oil or butter in a wok for 3 to 5 minutes, or try parboiling spears and then deep-frying them as tempura. You can roast asparagus in a mixture of oil, salt and pepper, and the peel won't get tough. If you want to magnify the vegetable's flavor, grill or broil unpeeled, uncooked asparagus. It can also be microwaved, and very tender asparagus can even be served raw.

Harbinger of spring

Asparagus has long been linked to the beginning of spring and new growth. The ancient Egyptians offered it up as a gift to their gods. Today, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Californians and Michiganders honor asparagus with festivals. I tie it in bundles to put out as a springtime decoration at catered events.

It is a versatile vegetable, adding its unique taste to spring-menu dishes such as the Italian-style breakfast of asparagus dappled with Parmesan and melted butter, and topped with a fried egg; pickled-asparagus relish slathered on hot dogs; poached salmon with asparagus pesto and red-pepper sauce; roast chicken with Chinese asparagus in ginger sauce, or an appetizer of fresh asparagus with a variety of dipping sauces. A potpourri of wild asparagus, wild mushrooms and goat cheese in a raspberry vinaigrette, or wild asparagus tossed together with fettuccine and chanterelles would make taste-tempting menu specials.

Hot or cold, eaten with fingers, forks or silver asparagus tongs, elegant yet simple, asparagus is a great way to affirm the arrival of spring.

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Ethel Hammer is a caterer and co-operator/co-owner of Savoury Chef Food Service, which runs B & I Cafeterias in Northern Virginia.