West Brookfield, near Sturbridge, will host the Asparagus & Flower Heritage Festival on May 17. Organizers shared some recipes that use the spear-shaped vegetable. For more information on the festival, go online to www.sturbridge.org.
Asparagus, Potato, and Dill Soup
Serves 4-6
21/2 pounds asparagus, washed and woody ends trimmed
3 tablespoons butter
3 whole cloves peeled garlic
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 medium bulb fennel, diced
6 medium Yukon Gold, or red potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1/3 cup fresh dill chopped fine
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 cups light cream (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 hard-boiled eggs sliced for garnish
Cut off the asparagus tips and save for later. Using a food processor slicer blade, slice the asparagus into small round pieces. This will cut up the fibers in the asparagus.
Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onions, celery, fennel, and garlic over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Add the potatoes and asparagus, stock and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Add the cream, chopped dill, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Then, using a hand blender puree the soup in the pot. Or use a blender or food processor and process the soup in batches. Heat water in a small pot until it boils. Add the asparagus tips and cook them 2 minutes. Drain and briefly cool in cold water and then set aside.
Serve the soup garnished with eggs slices and sprigs of dill.
Adapted from The New England Soup Factory Cookbook
Roasted Asparagus with Pancetta GranaPadana
2 lbs. fresh asparagus, trimmed
good olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
fresh lemon juice
4 oz pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons diced shallot
3 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
lemon zest
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spread asparagus out in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix by hand to distribute seasoning. Pat into a single layer. Bake until asparagus are tender, about 8 minutes. Shake pan once or twice during baking time. Brush with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a small non-stick skillet, sauté the pancetta until lightly golden brown. Add the shallots and continue to cook until the shallots are translucent.
Source: Appetite for Asparagus, Culinary Guild of New England Scholarship Fund Cook Book, Spring 2004
Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
1/2 pound prosciutto, sliced
1/2 (8 ounce) package Neufchatel cheese, softened
12 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Spread prosciutto slices with Neufchatel cheese. Wrap slices around 2 or 3 asparagus spears. Arrange wrapped spears in a single layer on a medium baking sheet.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until asparagus is tender.
Source: AllRecipes.com
Spinach and Asparagus Quiche
For the batter:
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon salt
21/2 cups half-and-half
8 eggs
1 tablespoon pepper
Pinch nutmeg
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For the crust:
1 pre-made pie crust
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For the filling:
3/4 cup spinach, blanched, chopped and any excess water removed
6 spears asparagus, chopped
3 cups grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
For the batter:
In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the sour cream and the salt. Add the half-and-half, eggs, pepper, and nutmeg.
For the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Place a pie tin on top of the pie crust and turn the crust upside down. Place this inverted pie crust in the oven to bake for approximately 10 minutes or until edges begin to lightly brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
To assemble:
Mix the filling ingredients together. Fill the blind baked pie shell with the filling. Slowly pour some of the batter over the top of the filling, being careful not to have the batter flow over the edges of the crust. Bake for 45 minutes until puffed and browned.
Source: TheFoodNetwork.com
