Asparagus and Tomato Salad

First asparagus season always comes in very early spring. At that time, asparagus is often imported from warmer countries or states, fresh and inexpensive. It is one of my favorite vegetables so I typically serve it almost every day either for lunch or dinner in tarts, pastas, and risottos. But somehow this year, before I enjoyed it to full, the first asparagus season had been already over.

Last week, at my local farmers market, it appeared again, which means that the second, local, asparagus season has arrived. Because the weather is much warmer, and I often prepare cold dishes or grilled meats, I decided to make an asparagus salad, which is great for lunch or dinner.

When it comes to asparagus I have only one secret. Just like I never cook beets in the water I also never cook asparagus. First, I fry it briefly in a drop of oil and then add water and cook until the water evaporates. This way almost all the nutrition remains in the asparagus and it is cooked but still crisp and green. I add the rest of the ingredients and in no time the salad is ready.

Asparagus and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
A bunch of green asparagus,
a pint of cherry tomatoes,
half a medium red onion,
shredded Parmesan cheese,
juice from half a lemon,
extra virgin olive oil.

Preparation:
1. Cut off about 1/4 of asparagus from the bottom end and discard. Cut the rest in inch-long sticks.
2. Wash cherry tomatoes, cut them in halves, and place in a medium bowl.
3. Cut the red onion in half, slice it very finely, and add to tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in lemon juice and a tbsp of olive oil.
4. In a heavy-duty frying pan heat a tbsp of olive oil. Add chopped asparagus, mix and fry for 1-2 minutes turning constantly so it does not turn brown. Add a bit of water (about 1/4 of a cup) and cook on a medium heat stirring once in while, until the water evaporates and asparagus is softer but still crispy.
5. Transfer hot asparagus to the bowl with tomatoes and onion. Mix well all the ingredients. Add shredded Parmesan cheese and mix again gently. Serve in room temperature.

Cold Asparagus Soup--For the Hot Days of May

It is asparagus season and they are in all stores on display more fresh and appetizing than ever. And I have just realized that I have never posted any recipe with asparagus as the main ingredient, although they are one of my favorite vegetables, especially in the late spring. I used to make many dishes with asparagus but these days I serve them most often in salads or pastas. I do not cook asparagus in water but sauté them on a pan drizzled with oil and a splash of water. This way I can have them perfectly green and still al dente, tender but not too soft or too hard. I usually serve asparagus as meat accompaniment, or make a salad plate with green salads and asparagus drizzled with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese.

Today, because the weather is getting hot again for this weekend I decided to make cold asparagus soup. I used to make it very often in Switzerland where on Friday farmers market I could get all kinds of very fresh asparagus. For this recipe, I use green asparagus the most thin kind as it is more tender and the soup does not need to be strained. This soup is a perfect dish to be served at lunch or dinner on a sunny and warm days as today.

Cold Asparagus Soup
(Serves six)

Ingredients:
2 lb green asparagus, the thin type,
1 large onion,
2 tbsp olive oil,
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth,
1 cup table cream,
salt and peeper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Cut off the ends of asparagus--I usually cut off one third of their length to make sure that all the wooden parts ale left out. Then from about 12 asparaguses cut off just the tips and blanch them in boiling water for about 2 minutes. They have to be still tender and green as they are needed for decoration.

Cut the rest of the asparaguses into inch-long sticks.

2. Heat oil in a medium, high wall pot. Add chopped onion and fry until transparent. Add asparagus and fry together on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add chicken stock and bring to boil. Let it boil for about 20 minutes until asparaguses are soft.
4. Using food blender purée the soup until very smooth. You need to try the soup and if you can feel the hard parts the soup needs to be strained on a colander.
5. Pour cream to the soup, season with salt and pepper, and cool down to room temperature. Then transfer the soup to the refrigerator.

On very hot days, I like to serve it chilled, on warm days, just room temperature.

Before serving decorate each plate with blanch asparagus tips.

Watercress and Roasted Tomatoes--The Elegant Salad

A friend of mine, who works in the music industry, often says that he has two big regrets in life--one, that he will never record The White Album and two, (he is a baldish type) that he will never have hair like Robert Plant. My biggest regret is that I will never write a romantic bestseller like Sense and Sensibility, and that I will never cater a dinner for John Kennedy Jr, in his Tribeca apartment, like a host of Zen Can Cook was lucky to do.

It is entirely understandable that he was granted such an opportunity, as his dishes, and especially the way they are presented, are culinary art. That is exactly what I was expecting to be treated to when I went to a three Michelin star restaurant and what I dream and try to achieve, cooking at home for my friends and guests.

The idea of this simple salad has been in my heart for almost two decades, ever since I read about it when I was living in London. All I remember is that it was created by one of the top Australian chefs for his Sydney restaurant. I am not even sure if I can remember correctly all the ingredients, but I did my best to make sure that my version remains in the same healthy yet elegant style.

All the ingredients are very simple and well known, and the presentation is key. It would be one of the dishes that I would put under a title "How to impress....", let's say, someone you meet for the first time. I made it a few times for my guests, since I often feel as hosting a culinary blog obliges me to do more than just tasty food, and also because I simply enjoy eating and creating attractive compositions on my plate.

What is nice about this salad is that everything can be prepared in advance (tomatoes and asparagus even a day earlier) and just assembled and served at the last moment.

Watercress and Roasted Tomatoes Salad
(for 6 people)

Ingredients:
1 bunch of watercress,
6 medium or 12 smaller (cocktail, but not cherry) tomatoes,
1 bunch of asparagus,
6 slices of Pancetta,
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese,
balsamic vinegar,
extra virgin olive oil,
salt and freshly ground pepper.

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Remove skin from the tomatoes. In order to do that, put the tomatoes first in the boiling water for about 20-30 seconds and right after that put them in the cold water. Take them out and remove the skin.
3. Place the tomatoes on a baking pan, salt them, and drizzle with oil.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending how big the tomatoes are, or until soft, and cool them down.
5. Cut 1/3 off asparagus stalks and blanch in the hot water for about 3 minutes, or cook on a frying pan in a little bit of oil and water for about 5 minutes, until they become softer, but still firm (al dente, if you will).
6. Cut the pancetta into smaller pieces and fry on a dry pan until gold and crispy.
7. Arrange the watercress, asparagus, and tomatoes on a plate. Sprinkle with a coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

As I served this salad to my friends, I was wondering "Would John Jr. be smitten?"