Saveur dubs asparagus “the ambassador of spring.” Even if there’s still snow on the ground where you are, asparagus has likely made it to your market, a sign of all the good things to come in warmer weather. It’s a very versatile vegetable, delicious raw, steamed, roasted or incorporated into a more complex dish.

Food Ideas

• Love to Cook: Asparagus-Gruyere tart (or galette) with an asparagus-mint salad
• Weeknight Reality: Roasted asparagus with grilled lemon chicken (or fish) and fresh herb salad OR pasta with asparagus
• Need a Miracle: Grilled cheese with asparagus pesto (it’s easier than you think) and a green salad

Recipe Links

• Lemon, Ricotta and Asparagus Galette – Erin Made This (about an hour, maybe 1 1/2)
• Asparagus-Gruyere Tart – Martha Stewart (about 45 minutes)
• Asparagus-Mint Slaw – Saveur (about 10 minutes)
• Roasted Asparagus & Snap Pea Salad – Cooking with a Wallflower (about 25 minutes)
• Roasted Asparagus – She Wears Many Hats (about 20 minutes)
• Linguini with Asparagus & Egg – Martha Stewart (about 30 minutes)
• Asparagus & Bacon on Toast – Saveur (about 25 minutes)
• Asparagus Pesto – Mark Bittman via New York Times (about 20 minutes)

Parting Thought

Playwrights are like men who have been dining for a month in an Indian restaurant. After eating curry night after night, they deny the existence of asparagus.