Asparagus boat

I’ve missed the boat on a lot of things this week. Tuesday was May Fourth, perhaps an interesting day to think about Chinese food, and Wednesday was Cinco de Mayo, probably a nice day to think about Mexican food. But there were other things going on in my world both yesterday and the day before that.  So I missed those boats.

Asparagus season began a couple of weeks ago. It won’t end for another little while, which means I may not yet miss this boat. Actually I’m already on it. Asparagus is a strange vegetable, known among college students primarily for the certain effects it has on the color of, well, you know what. Maybe I’ve never looked that closely, but this has never much concerned me. In addition to being strange, asparagus also happens to be very tasty.

This preparation is a hacked version of something I saw on the back cover of this book. The recipe inside included white asparagus, which I didn’t have, shiso leaves, which I didn’t have, and fresh tomatoes, which I also didn’t have. But the photo was so pretty! Shiso tastes a bit refreshing (like mint) and a bit spicy (like basil), hence the mint and basil. Sun-dried tomatoes are my favorite 80s ingredient ever and need no justification. They lent a welcome bit of salty depth to what is otherwise a sprightly, cheerful dish. I’m not always very cheerful, but at least I haven’t missed the asparagus boat.

Shaved asparagus with mint + basil

1 bunch asparagus  |  juice of ½ lemon  |  handful each mint + basil  |  2 sundried tomatoes  |  best quality olive oil  |  salt + pepper

Clean the asparagus and cut off the tough stems of the bottom bits. Holding the tip of one stalk, run a vegetable peeler down its length to make long strips. The first strip will be ugly and unusable, so save it for soup or stock. This is also true of the last strips. Save the asparagus tips—the most prized parts anyway—for another use as well. (Think risotto.)

Toss your asparagus ribbons with a good squeeze of lemon juice. Then cut the mint + basil into a chiffonade or whatever other shape may please you. Dice the sundried tomato. Then taste the asparagus. The lemon juice should have helped the fibers to break down a bit, though it will still be crisp. If it seems too raw, wait a little while longer. When you and the asparagus are ready, toss the latter with the mint, basil, sundried tomato, drops of olive oil, salt + pepper.

Serves 2-4, depending on the appetites of your diners and diameter of your asparagus