Diamond, Asparagus Salad,

Monday: Just walked by the TV on which Matt is watching GMA. Story about a woman who bought a ring in the flea market for $13 and wore it quite happily for 20 years. It now turns out to be a 26 carat diamond worth $455,000 (US I assume). Not quite the same, but many years ago my mother saw a friend wearing a ring she really liked. The friend sold it to my mother for a bottle of gin. (We actually suspected the ring had fallen of the back of a truck). My mother wore it all the time and used to take the stone out of the claws to clean it. Needless to say one of the claws broke and she asked a jeweller friend if he could fix it. He came back to her later and asked if she realised it was an aquamarine set in gold. Of course she didn't. It is a large stone. Guess who has it today?

So as I said I would, I used the Shaved Raw Asparagus recipe for my lunchtime asparagus. Few

comments first, it was a bit of a pain to shave the asparagus, I then realised that it was probably invented by someone who had to throw away the woody ends so they didn't have edible pieces left over. Unable to shave them, I got out the Mandolin and sliced them really fine. I was only making it for me of course so I just put a teaspoon of Parmesan in a bowl, added a little lemon juice, a little hot water, seasoning and mixed it with some olive oil. I tasted it and it was a bit tart to my taste so I added a very little sugar. I tossed the asparagus and then ate it and was delighted with the result. Very tasty. Highly recommended. I will be making it again although at first I found the shaving part to be too difficult.

Here is another recipe I haven't tried. I really must do so.

Asparagus Shandong-Style (Liang Ban Lu-Sun)

1 ½ lbs asparagus, trimmed and cut crosswise on the diagonal into 2" pieces
1 Tbs Japanese reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp Asian sesame oil
2 drops red chile oil
½ tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus to pot and cook until tender-crisp and bright green, 1½–2 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain, then immediately plunge into a large bowl of ice water; set aside to cool, 2–3 minutes. Drain again, then transfer to paper towels, pat dry, and set aside.

2. Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, and chile oil in a medium bowl. Add asparagus and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with sesame seeds.

Servings: 2

Source: Saveur

Author Notes
A specialty of Shandong province, this dish is traditionally reserved for banquets because asparagus is so expensive in China. But in the United States, when the price comes down in summer, take advantage of this flavorful dish.

Have a great day