Travel, Barrie’s Farm.

I had to go see the nurse at the specialist’s office, been having hypertension problems. She has just been on a fabulous two week trip to Europe which included London, Paris, Marseille, Nice, Florence, Venice and other Italian places with which I was unfamiliar. Sounds a wonderful experience to me. Her boyfriend is from that part of the world and they spent time with his family which she really enjoyed. In fact she enjoyed all of it very much, but she missed her parents!!! A great European trip like that and “she missed her parents”. She’s a young woman living away from home (with the boyfriend I think) and she goes on a trip I, and many others, would love and her final comment is about missing parents. Sorry, I don’t get it. Nor, I might add, did anyone at the bowling alley when I told them about it.

The first thing one of the Alley owners said to me yesterday afternoon was “have you seen the Record?” We hadn’t so he showed me an article about Barrie’s Asparagus and was surprised when I immediately said “Oh, that’s Tim”. Jim Witmer, was also surprised at all the things Barrie’s sell made with asparagus, in particular their soap which is a new product. They have pickled asparagus and asparagus barbecue sauce, too. Or asparagus ravioli and asparagus soap. Or asparagus salsa. A fresh batch of that salsa, bottled with a day of picking, is firehouse hot. Never tried it myself. I do like their pickled asparagus and have never tried making it because I don’t have the equipment. Do read the article. At the end he mentions Hershey, the dog, who greets everyone as they arrive. She is getting pretty old these days and every year I am surprised she is still there. Never thought about bringing her some liver treats.

This is another recipe from Food and Wine. I love all the major ingredients in this recipe so I think it should be pretty good.

Asparagus Risotto with Crab and Orange Gremolada

Contributed by Quick From Scratch One-Dish Meals

• SERVINGS: 4

Crabmeat and asparagus is a match made in heaven. This recipe is also fantastic, however, without any crab at all. Leave it out and serve the risotto as a side dish or as a first course at a springtime dinner party.
 

1. 1 quart canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock, more if needed
2. 1 1/2 cups water, more if needed
3. 1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off and discarded, spears cut into 1/2-inch lengths, tips left whole
4. 2 tablespoons butter
5. 1 tablespoon cooking oil
6. 1 small onion, chopped
7. 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
8. 1/2 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
9. 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
10. 1/2 pound crabmeat, picked free of shell
11. 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (from 1/2 orange)
12. 2 cloves garlic, minced
13. 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
14. 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1. Bring the broth and water to a simmer in a medium pot. Cook the asparagus in the broth until just done, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Put in a colander, rinse with cold water, and drain. Keep the broth at a simmer.
2. In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the vermouth and salt. Cook, stirring, until the vermouth is absorbed. Add about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth; cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed. The rice and broth should bubble gently; adjust the heat as needed. Continue cooking, adding broth 1/2 cup at a time and letting the rice absorb it before adding more. Cook the rice in this way until tender, 25 to 30 minutes in all. The broth that isn"t absorbed should be thickened by the starch from the rice. You may not need all of the liquid, or you may need more broth or water.
4. Stir in the asparagus, crab, orange zest, garlic, parsley, pepper, and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Cook until heated through.

Suggested Pairing

Asparagus is hard to pair with wine; it combines with any bitter elements to produce a metallic taste. That means no tannins and definitely no oak. Go for a crisp, unoaked Italian sauvignon blanc from Friuli or Collio.

Have a great day