My Market Year(s)

The very first asparagus is in the market and this means some of my favorite Spring recipes will be possible.  I will buy two or three pounds of asparagus at the market and I’ll start on day one making food for later in the week.  The mindset of buying and cooking ahead is a great asset when it comes to getting the most out of the market and your time.  I’ll use my pounds of asparagus as an example.

I will snap the bottom off of two meals worth of asparagus for Ena and me.  I’ll wash and save those bottoms in a plastic bag in the freezer until later in the week.   I’ll steam the snapped asparagus, pulling 1/2 of it out after 3 minutes when it is still crunchy but blanched and I’ll put it in an ice bath.   The rest I will let cook and we will eat it simply dressed with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.

A couple of days later, I’ll toss the blanched asparagus in olive oil, lemon zest, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and I’ll finish cooking it on the grill.  It picks up the smoke from the grill and gets caramelized bits on it.  It will take 3 or 4 minutes to grill since it is partially cooked.   I’ll use them in one of my favorite dishes, grilled asparagus with poached eggs and fresh tomato salsa.

If I have leftovers from either of these dishes, I might use it on salads or in a pasta dish or I’ll add it to a frittata for lunch or dinner.

The rest of the asparagus I’ll use to make soup.  I’ll snap the rest and use the frozen bottoms along with the snapped bottoms to make an asparagus broth.  I’ll post the soup recipe when I make it.   We will get two meals of soup out of the recipe.

One shopping trip for asparagus will give us steamed asparagus as a side along toppings for salads or additions for pasta or a frittata, grilled asparagus for a quick dinner and a couple of meals of asparagus soup.    A little thinking ahead means that one trip to the market and one big bunch of asparagus will provide us with a lot of different dishes the next week.

When I’m at the market and I’m looking at bunches of greens or piles of tomatoes, I’m always trying to think two or three meals ahead.  I’m also always thinking about ways that I can cook once and use many times.  Steaming beans, asparagus, peas, potatoes or any other vegetable is a good way to prep it for other recipes.  A partially steamed or blanched vegetable will keep in the fridge and not turn leathery for several days.  It is just as easy to prep and cook a two large bunches of kale as it is one.  It takes longer to bring the water to a boil and to clean up after than to actually cook to the greens.

As I add recipes to my repertoire, my ability to cook and plan ahead grows.  When it gets to be hot in July and I’m busy doing other things, I’m happy that I can cook once an use again for many meals in a week.