Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Cooking Asparagus, Vacations, Sharks,

I am always looking for new recipes and I checked a book on vegetables that I have had since time began. Never looked at it much and certainly not for asparagus. Not a bad recipe in there, but it tells you how to cook asparagus. Tie it up in a bundle, stand upright (heads out of water) and boil for 25 minutes. Horrors, 25 minutes what on earth would you have at the end of that time? Mush? I have tried cooking them standing upright but I wasn't impressed. 3 minutes in boiling water seems to work very well for me. 25 minutes, can't get over it.

We hear the temperature in North Carolina is 106°F at the moment. No wonder some people aren't
stepping outside. I would be glued to the air conditioning. We were in Pennsylvania once in our travel trailer and it was 103°F. All the people on the campsite were taking their chairs and sitting in the stream keeping their feet wet - until someone saw a snake. I can't remember if that was the time when we didn't even have a/c in the car. We drove the New Jersey turnpike and had to keep the windows shut because we were surrounded by traffic, particularly trucks, and the air was horrendous but then it was pretty horrendous inside the car too. Not necessarily on the same trip you understand. We used to spend a fair amount of time at the beach. Today I would not go into the water. These recent shark attacks happened in relatively shallow water. A friend said she was going to the beach for the 4th I recommended she and her family stay out of the water. It really isn't worth it. I gather the sharks are migrating at the moment and this is part of the trouble, I've also heard they are evacuating the beaches.

Wednesday is league bowling again, It seems such a long time since last Thursday.

This recipe was demonstrated on local TV (Canada AM) the other day and featured a chef called Rose Murray who buys her asparagus from Barrie's. I thought it looked delicious but hunting for a picture, I found it was not original to her although she may have made adaptations.


Oven-Roasted Asparagus with Hazelnut Vinaigrette

2 Tbs finely chopped shallots
2 Tbs finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 Tbs hazelnut or olive oil
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 lb (500 g) asparagus, freshly roasted

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots, hazelnuts, hazelnut oil, vinegar and mustard.

2. Transfer the hot, freshly roasted asparagus to a warm platter and spoon the dressing over the top. Toss gently to coat the asparagus with the dressing.

How to Toast Nuts

1. Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and bake in a 350°F (180°C) oven for about 5 minutes, watching carefully. (In the summer, I use my toaster oven to toast nuts to avoid heating up the kitchen.)

2. When toasting hazelnuts, wrap the warm nuts in a clean tea towel and rub vigorously to remove their loose, brown skins before using. (Don't worry if a few skins are left)

Servings: 2-4

Source: Rose Murray


Have a great day

28 comments:

  1. Hmm, that sounds hot for North Carolina. Phew. We're having a nice mild winter here. Best time of the year! More yummy asparagus! Thanks!

    Denise :-)

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    1. It is hot for NC, but not unheard of Denise. We lived there for 12 years and one got some pretty hot temps. Never too cold in winter though, at least, not where we lived although we did get 18 inches of snow one Christmas.

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  2. 25 minutes? Unbelievable! Maybe they were cooking the woody ends that I throw away. I usually throw some spears in the microwave for three minutes if it is just me eating.

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    1. 3 mins in the microwave seems a tad long to me Denise. I give it that long in boiling water. Mind you, this is fresh off the farm stuff which is extremely tender anyway

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  3. I wonder if that was "old school" to cook the asparagus that long. Most of the time when we have it, we grill it.

    I too agree about staying out of the ocean water. When I lived close to it and went to the beach, I always just about went up to my ankles, that was enough for me!

    betty

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    1. I prefer boiled as a general rule Betty. Asparagus loves water after all.

      We used to swim when we went to the beach, but never went out all that far. Now I am not sure I would even go in up to my ankles. I'm not sure how shallow they mean by "shallow water".

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  4. Not a fan of that weather at all. Today is just glorious here on the Cape and I'm off to shoot pics in my hometown. There have been a lot of shark issues here thanks to the huge population of seals that have taken over, esp. in the Chatham area.

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    1. Nor me, but it's nice in small doses and I love it if I have a pool nearby. Yes seals would attract the JoJo. Hard on the seals, hard on the humans.

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  5. Can't imagine why anyone would want to cook asparagus for 25 minutes. About the shark attacks, while they are horrible and my heart goes out to anyone who might be attacked and their families and friends, it made me think how odd it is that we happily take our chances on the road where there are so many car fatalities but are so afraid of shark attacks which are really rare in comparison.

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    1. Nor me Helen. Maybe it's the though of being chomped on by an animal. I drive but wouldn't swim right now.

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  6. I can't take the heat-I never could. I have a hard time to sweat so my body overheats. Humidity is even worse. I have heard about the shark attacks and we watched CNN the other night and one expert said that people who have swam in the ocean have, guaranteed, been within 6 feet of a shark!! I don't care if they are just roaming around, that is too close for me! My Aunt loves the ocean and when she was on her honeymoon in the late 60's off the beach in the south of France I believe, she swam way out and she saw my Uncle waving and others waving so she waved back. When she came in, my Uncle told her there was a shark closing in on her and they were all trying to wave her back to shore (like that would help). Just when it looked like the shark was right on top of her, the shark veered off. This story still gives me the shivers.

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    1. I tend to overheat easily too Birgit. Matt, who used to scuba dive, has swum with sharks before now. He thinks they are wonderful. Not too many sharks in the Med but as a fisherman in Nice told me, it only takes one.

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  7. Hey Jo - This afternoon (just now actually), I finished using the last of my asparagus. Made two bowls of asparagus and calm chowder. Really tasty. I have one left for tomorrow. Then I'll be out, out.

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    1. You need to go buy more Ivy whilst it's still in season. I couldn't bear to be out when it's in season.

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    2. I did try from a local farm that sells to one of the markets near me, but they asparagus were not good at that one place. Will try again where I got them, when I have the car tomorrow.

      Right now, we're sharing.

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    3. You surprise me Ivy, especially if they sell to the market. We share a car but I never get to drive it.

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  8. We're going to Myrtle Beach at the end of July. Hope the sharks are gone by then. It's been hot this month here in PA but we do have AC.

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    1. Never been to Myrtle Beach Susan, drove through it once, too touristy for us I'm afraid. I hope for your sake that the sharks have gone, but don't bank on it. I know, it can get really hot in PA.

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  9. The asparagus sounds like a quick tasty meal to serve. I'll have to try this one out. Shame about the beaches. Maybe if they erected toughened steel nets in the sea from end to end that might keep the sharks at bay.

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    1. Certainly is that Spacerguy, hope you enjoy it. I think they are going to have to do that down the east coast soon. Would cost a lot of money of course, but it would keep people safe.

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  10. They suspect it's one rogue bull or tiger shark. A friend who has been in a helicopter over the beach says if you knew how many sharks were in the Carolina waters you would never go in the water. Needless to say, I don't.

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    1. Sensible man Alex. Trouble is, Liz is talking about going to the beach over the holiday and I am telling her keep out of the water. I should send your comment to her.

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  11. Gosh I hope we don't get weather that hot. I won't survive it. LOL As for the ocean, I like the beach only for the expansive horizon, not the water = gross!
    I need some good veggies = I'm hungry!

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    1. I used to enjoy swimming in the ocean a bit, preferably off the side of a boat into deep water. Er, not now I don't think.

      Eat yer greens Yolanda, especially asparagus.

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  12. It takes 25 mins, just could not imagine it. Your 3 mins was perfect, Jo! Veges generally are taken raw. Recently juicing is rampant!

    Hank

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    1. Yes Hank, I learned years ago that any vegetable could be eaten raw. I enjoy potato raw although don't eat it often. I make a juice with baby kale, milk and banana. Both delicious and healthy.

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  13. We have pretty big sharks over here. I never go swimming in the ocean. I like to be able to see the bottom. We have deadly stingers too which is another reason to stick to swimming pools.

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    1. Yup, I know about your stingers Pinky. Very dangerous little suckers. I don't think I would want to risk it either. Aren't they mainly around the reef though?

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