Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Asparagus with a twist

We're in the sweet spot for Alberta asparagus — it grows fast as the weather warms up, and we should be eating as much of it as possible for the next month or so when it's growing locally and at its peak. 

When shopping for asparagus, choose smooth, unwrinkled stalks with tight purply tips, in the thickness you like.

It's a common misconception that thinner stalks are preferable. Thickness is not an indication of woodiness or age. 

The stalks come out of the ground thick or thin, and, in fact, thicker stalks tend to be sweeter, with a higher ratio of insides to the skin. They can be easier to manoeuvre around the grill and won't turn limp when you cook them. 

To store your asparagus, snap off any woody ends wherever they naturally break. Stand them upright in a wide glass or plastic container in a couple of inches of water.

To preserve asparagus longer, blanch the stalks in boiling water for two to four minutes. Stop them from cooking by plunging into ice water, then freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet before transferring to ziplock bags for longer storage in the freezer.

You can cook them straight from frozen — no need to thaw first. 

If you've heard people joke about how asparagus makes their pee smell funny, this happens because of the metabolism of a compound unique to asparagus called asparagusic acid. And though it affects everyone, your olfactory genes determine whether you can smell it.

Researchers speculate people metabolize asparagusic acid differently, producing more or less of the sulphur smell, but only about two-thirds of us will even notice.

Asparagus Focaccia

Asparagus makes wonderful focaccia. If you have thick stalks, cut them in half lengthwise or shave them into ribbons with a vegetable peeler. Set smaller stalks on top of the dough whole.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2-3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil, plus extra for the pan
• 1 tsp salt
• A small handful of asparagus stalks
• Flaky salt
• Freshly grated Parmesan or extra-aged Gouda (optional)

Put the water into a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle over the yeast and sugar and let stand for a few minutes, to dissolve.

Add the flour, olive oil and salt and stir until the dough comes together.

Knead by hand or use the dough hook of your stand mixer until the dough is smooth but still tacky.

Shape it into a rough ball, drizzle with oil and let sit in the bowl, covered with a tea towel, for an hour or two. If you like, put it in the fridge overnight after it rises for a while at room temperature — the cold will slow the rise.

• Bookmark cbc.ca/juliesrecipes to keep up with all of Julie Van Rosendaal's dishes.

Generously drizzle some oil into a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet or other ovenproof pan or dish (or two smaller baking dishes) and press the dough out about an inch thick in the pan. Alternatively, you can choose to divide it between two pans.

Press deep into the dough with your fingers. This will create a nubbly surface for the oil to settle into. Let it sit for at least half an hour, and when you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 F.

Press whole asparagus stalks gently into the surface of the focaccia, or toss asparagus ribbons with oil and scatter them overtop. Drizzle the focaccia with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until deep golden.

If you like, grate some Parmesan or extra old Gouda overtop and return to the oven for a couple of minutes, until it melts.

Serves: 8 to 12.

Asparagus + Mango Salad Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Rice paper (or summer) rolls are so much fun to make, and really you can put all kinds of things in them: blanched asparagus, fresh mango or watermelon, thinly sliced purple or green cabbage, avocado, fresh herbs, crunchy cucumber or jicama, cooked shrimp or eggs or tofu … anything goes!

This version is made with asparagus, mango, mint and rice or rice noodles.

Ingredients

Mango Salad Rolls:

• asparagus stalks
• rice paper wrappers
• fresh mint, basil, cilantro, or other herbs
• mango 
• cooked sticky rice or soaked thin rice noodles

Peanut Sauce:

• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1-2 tbsp rice vinegar or lime juice
• 1 tbsp brown sugar or honey
• 1 garlic clove, finely crushed
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• A drizzle of sesame oil (optional)
• A pinch of chili flakes or a squirt of sriracha (optional)

To prepare the asparagus, snap about an inch off the ends, wherever they naturally break, and blanch in boiling salted water for about two minutes.

Plunge them into cold water to stop them from cooking. Cut the cheeks off the mango and thinly slice the halves, scooping the flesh out of the skin.

If the pieces are big, cut them in half lengthwise to make smaller pieces.

To assemble the rolls, fill a shallow dish (I use a pie plate) with hot water and lay a clean tea towel over your work surface.

Soak one rice paper round at a time in the water for about 10 seconds, until it's pliable, and lay it on the tea towel.

Pat the surface with the edges of the towel to absorb any excess water. Place a few leaves of mint or other herbs in a line down the middle, and top with two asparagus spears, some mango, and then some rice or noodles.

Fold over one long side to cover, then fold up both ends, allowing the tips of the asparagus to break through the rice paper if they want to. Add any other fillings you like as well.

Start to roll it up, keeping it tight, and add a few more herbs to the open piece of wrapper, so that they will show through once that piece has wrapped around the rest. 

To make the peanut sauce, warm the peanut butter up a bit in the microwave to make it easier to stir, if you like, and then add the remaining ingredients.

Stir until well combined, adding some hot water or a splash of coconut milk to thin it to your desired consistency.

Serves: As many as you like.

Sauce Gribiche

This classic French emulsified sauce is delicious with asparagus. It's creamy and briny from the capers and cornichons and can be made smoother or chunkier, as you like.

For a vegan version, reduce the oil to about a tablespoon and add a couple of big spoonfuls of vegan mayo, and add some chopped tofu to replicate the egg. 

Ingredients

• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 1 tbsp regular or grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 cornichons (gherkins), finely chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, drained and chopped
• 2-3 tbsp chopped parsley, tarragon, dill or chervil (or a combination)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Separate the egg yolk from the white, putting the yolk in a medium bowl and chopping the white; set it aside.

Mash the yolk with the mustard and vinegar with a fork, then start stirring in the oil very gradually, whisking until it emulsifies.

Stir in the cornichons, capers, herbs and egg white. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes: About ½ cup.