From their tips to roots; interesting facts, nutrition, and recipes of springtime
Spring has sprung! Despite the sporadic temperature jumps, it is indeed springtime. Along with the telltale signs of tulips, petunias, and mosquitoes, waves of fresh Ontario produce have entered the stores and markets. One such spring treasure is asparagus. Asparagus has an eight week growing season in Ontario, producing stalks as tall as 15cm in a day. Packed with nutrients, asparagus can be eaten raw, boiled, grilled, baked, and made into a delicious soup.
The Canadian Food Guide tells us to eat seven to eight servings of vegetables and fruit per day. So what exactly can a serving of asparagus add to our diet? Asparagus offers very little calories; the caloric output for their digestion is more than calories gained.
Despite this, the richly green vegetable has much to give to our bodies. Asparagus contains dietary fibre, which aids in digestion and limits the body’s absorption of food based toxins. The dark green stalks are a good source of anti-oxidants which are effective in eliminating dangerous free radical oxygen to protect against cancer.
Asparagus contributes many vitamins and minerals essential for bodily functions. B-complex vitamins support metabolism which supplies energy to the multiple systems of the body. Vitamins A, C, and E boost the ability of the body to combat infections, and repair tissue damage. Vitamin K has very important dual functions of ensuring bone development, and preventing neurological damage. Also, minerals Copper and Iron are needed in red blood cell production.
We are by no means the first to enjoy the taste or nutrition of the spring time crop. As the oldest recorded vegetable, asparagus had been cherished over 2000 years ago as a delicacy in ancient Greek, and then Roman empires. Originating in Asia Minor, Asparagus is now a common vegetable grown worldwide.
In Ontario Asparagus is strictly a spring vegetable. Stalks are harvested within eight weeks; between the beginning of May and end of June.
When buying asparagus there are certain characteristics one can look for that distinguish the cream of the crop. Ideally asparagus should have thin crisp stalks, dark colour, and tightly closed tips. If possible the freshest stalks should be chosen and then stored in cool temperatures to preserve natural sugars and vitamin C.
There are several methods of preparation that may be used to enjoy asparagus. The easiest is just eating it raw, though you still may want to snap off the woody ends. It is important to not overcook asparagus as that will lead to the degradation of important vitamins. Some simple preparations methods are: boiling (approximately 5 min), steaming (4 to 8 min), or oven-roasting with a drizzle of oil (400F, 8 to 10 min).
Some asparagus recipes:
Asparagus Risotto
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1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 bunch of asparagus
1-1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup of dry white wine
8 cups of vegetable stock, heated until hot
1/2 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano (or similar), plus extra for serving
salt and fresh ground pepper
Heat oil in a large (12″) saute pan. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes over medium until soft and translucent. Add rice and stir with a wooden spoon until toasted, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the wine and stir. Then add one soup ladel of stock and cook, stirring until absorbed. Repeat and repeat and repeat again until all the stock is gone and the rice is creamy and al dente. This is about 20 minutes of standing by the stove stirring, so get your comfy slippers on! Remove pan from heat and stir in the cheese, season with salt and pepper. Put a generous amount of cheese in a bowl with a spoon for serving at the table. Enough for about 4 people.
Cream of Asparagus Soup
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1 medium onion, diced
2 pounds of asparagus, trimmed and cut in one inch pieces, remove the “woody part”
4-cups of chicken stock
1/2-cup Greek yogurt, nonfat or 2% fat
salt and pepper to taste
1 TBS of cayenne pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and drain. Reserve 2 cups cooking liquid from the boil. Dice onions and sautee on high heat until slightly browned. Transfer cooking liquid and asparagus to a food processor and puree until smooth – If you don’t like biting onion, you can puree the sautee too. Otherwise just leave it to stir in by hand later. Combine asparagus puree with chicken broth in a medium stockpot and heat over medium until warm. Stir in yogurt, salt, pepper, onion, and cayenne. Serve!