Wonderful signs of spring are everywhere and today I caught my first glimpse of lilac blooms. The ones on my property aren't quite there yet, but asparagus and many of my garden herbs such as chives and lovage are out and healthy.



Asparagus is a vegetable we've been seeing in the grocery stores for a while now (and by that I mean that they haven't always been the arm and a leg they are in the middle of winter). The shoots in my garden have been coming for several weeks and the girls have delighted in picking them and eating them directly from the garden as snacks. A member of the lily family, asparagus is related to onions, leeks and garlic, although they taste nothing like others in the allium family. The word “asparagus” is Greek in origin and means “stalk” or “shoot,” which if you've ever seen them go to seed, with their ferny leaves grown on tall stalks, you understand completely. The larger stalks are the first to arrive and the thinner ones are the second or third harvests as the roots loose their first push of energy.

Asparagus makes for an unusual vegetable in crudités, is wonderful in salads or pasta dishes and even more simply just steamed with lemon juice. Enjoy it fresh and locally while you can!

Tomato and Lovage Soup

Lovage is a perennial herb that is out in my garden now. It smells and tastes like celery and you can replace it with celery should you not have lovage available. It's not a very well known herb, however it was common in Middle Age kitchen and medicinal gardens. It grows tall with large stalks by the middle of the summer. The stalks can be braised.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1 cup mince lovage or diced celery

2 tablespoons minced garlic, 3-4 cloves

4 cups diced tomatoes or two 28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes

4 cups low-salt chicken stock

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Garnish:

Sour cream or crème fraîche

Heat a medium stockpot, over medium high heat and add the oil. Sauté the onions, lovage or celery and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes and puree. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche.

Serves 6-8

Pinenut, Red Onion and Tomato Spinach Salad

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup finely sliced red onion

1/2 cup diced fresh tomato

8 oz. baby spinach

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

Toast pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat. Stirring often for about 5 minutes or until the pine nuts become golden brown. Toss the spinach with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Arrange the rest of the ingredients on top and serve.

Serves 4

Asparagus-Pesto Lasagna

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups low-fat milk, plus 1/2 cup

1 cup chicken stock

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup pesto (recipe below)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/4 pounds asparagus or 2 bunches, tips cut off and reserved and the spears cut into 1 inch pieces

2 teaspoons minced garlic or 1 large clove

15 lasagna noodles, uncooked

2 cups grated Fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 350º. Combine the flour and 1/2 cup of milk in a medium sauce pan with a whisk. Whisk in the rest of the milk and chicken stock and bring to a boil over medium high heat, whisking often. Reduce heat to simmer, add the nutmeg, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the pesto and Parmesan cheese. Whisk until fully incorporated. Meanwhile, in a medium sized skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the asparagus bottoms, but not the very tips. When the asparagus is tender add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds to one minute.

Butter a 9x13 pan. Layer ingredients in the bottom of the pan in 3 layers starting with 1/4 of the sauce, 5 noodles, 1/3 of the cooked asparagus, another 1/4 of the sauce and 1/3 of the Fontina cheese. Begin again with noodles, asparagus, sauce and Fontina. Ending the third layer with sauce, Fontina and lastly the reserved tips of the asparagus. Bake covered for 50 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8

Basil Pesto

1 packed cup fresh basil, stems removed

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Clean the basil leaves in water and drain well. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix until well combined.

Makes 1 cup

Strawberries in Grand Marnier Syrup

Should you have any leftover (not likely, but anything is possible), I've included a recipe for ice cream.

1 quart strawberries, cleaned, hulled and quartered

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 slices of orange rind, white pith removed

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

Combine the sugar, water and orange rind in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the strawberries and the Grand Marnier. Serve with on pound cake or with ice cream.

Strawberry and Grand Marnier Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups pureed strawberries in Grand Marnier syrup (recipe included)

1 3/4 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)

Juice from 1/2 lemon

2 large eggs

Combine all ingredients and follow the instructions for your ice cream machine.

Makes 1 quart