Eating in season. Tis the season! While I will admit to buying the occasional exorbitantly-priced half pint of blueberries in the depths of winter (a reward for shoveling the sidewalk and driveway once again?), there is, as we all know, nothing like the taste explosion of a height-of-season homegrown tomato or farmer’s market-fresh bunch of kale.
Just as I love the change in seasons, I find something so reassuring and right about the progression of foods at market: first garlic scapes and early season greens, then berries and cherries and juicy ripe tomatoes, from the sweet-tart McIntosh apples of fall, to the root vegetables and winter squash that warm the belly as the temperatures cool. I find comfort in the evolution of it all, the cyclical nature, the tuning in and nourishing our body with what it needs–what the earth provides–at each particular point in our circle around the sun.
At this point in that circle, what’s in season–and what I’m savoring–is asparagus. Following is my basic recipe for oven-roasted asparagus, and one of my favorite ways to enjoy it.
Oven Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients: 1 bunch fresh asparagus olive oil sea salt pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit.
Rinse off the asparagus, and arrange in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.
Roast for 8-12 minutes, depending on thickness of asparagus spears, turning once halfway through. Asparagus should be just fork-tender when done.
Arugula Salad with Salmon, Asparagus & Roasted Tomatoes
Salad ingredients (serves 1): 2 C baby arugula 3-5 oz salmon (cooked your favorite way) 1/2 avocado, peeled & sliced roasted asparagus spears roasted tomato halves lemon-pepper dressing (recipe follows)
Rinse and dry baby arugula. Arrange on a plate and drizzle with lemon-pepper dressing.
Arrange the salmon, sliced avocado, roasted asparagus spears and roasted tomato halves on the arugula.
Lemon-Pepper Dressing: 2 T lemon juice 2 T extra virgin olive oil salt & pepper to taste pinch red chile flakes
Place all ingredients into a glass container.
Whisk or cover and shake.
Leftover dressing can be stored for several days in a covered glass jar in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!