On my fourth asparagus recipe (the first two were soups, and the second two are below) I am unsurprisingly excited to move on to a new topic next week.  At this point, I keep telling myself that it is good for my body, this week of detoxing veggie( its mildly diuretic).  What is more, asparagus is also a superstar in the nutrition world, so I let my head dominate my stomach and I eat another forkful.

The dark green of asparagus is an automatic signal of nutrition–most dark vegetables are healthy, and usually cancer-fighting (according to my mother, though she is well founded).  Rich in folate, and soluble fiber it is for stellar cardiovascular health by supporting red blood cell formulation, circulation and controlling cholesterol levels.  Eating a cup of asparagus, which really isn’t much more than six or seven big stalks, provides 35% DV of vitamin C and 20% DV of vitamin A a super-combo to charge your immune system (and your vision!).

Because of its nasty little after-effect, I was surprised to find that asparagus falls into a category with strawberries, oysters and chocolate. Know which that category  is? It is an Aphrodisiac!  Well, the high level of folates in the vegetable help to trigger the body’s natural histamines which prevent low libido and erectile dysfunction.  So maybe its not an aphrodisiac so much a homeopathic viagra.

Now that I know what I’m eating is good for me, I have to eat it.  Tuesday night brought a chicken salad with blanched asparagus tips and Wednesday, a magnificent stir fry that featured green-asparagus, spinach, basil and spring onions.

Tuesday Supper Salad

Serves 2 as main course

¼ cup White balsamic vinegar
¼ cup High quality olive oil
1 garlic clove sliced length wise in three pieces
a dab of Dijon mustard
a splash of lemon juice
Mesclun and romaine lettuces (here’s to diversifying textures)
5ish fresh Basil leaves
1 bunch asparagus, woody stems trimmed, chopped in 1 inch pieces
½ red onion thinly sliced (approx. ½ cup)
½ fennel bulb thinly sliced (approx. ½ cup)
¼ shaved parmigiano reggiano
2 marinated chicken breasts (I suggest Mediterranean flavors)

Combine first five ingredients in a small bowl or jar and mix vigorously.  I like to use a jar with  a lid so I can really shake it up, it emulsifies very nicely.  Let that sit as long as you like, the garlic will impart a great flavor, you can then season with salt and pepper.

Top washed lettuce with thin strips of basil and ½ of the sliced onion and ½ of the sliced fennel. (so you are adding ¼ cup of each)  Sauté the remaining onion and fennel in a pan for about seven minutes, or until soft and add to the salad.  Meanwhile, boil a small pan of water and cook the asparagus until bright green, about 4 -5 minutes. Drain and add with the rest. The double favor of cooked and raw is very nice.

Don’t change the oil in the pan, and begin to sauté the chicken breasts until juices flow clear and the center of the breast is not pink, about 15 minutes.

When you are ready to dig in, remove the garlic from the dressing, toss the salad and top with sliced chicken breast and shaved cheese. Serve with a baguette.  Delish….

Wednesday’s Green Stir Fry

serves a bunch….4-5

This is a basic stir-fry that yields a flavor I like and can be morphed to include any manner of veggie.  This is just what we happened to have in the fridge!

One bunch asparagus
2 bell peppers julienned
one bunch green onions white and green parts sliced on the diagonal
one red onion
2 bunches fresh spinach
extra firm tofu
soy sauce
rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
4 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons ginger grated or minced
olive oil
dash of lime

Heat a swirl of oil in a wok to coat the sides, then add ginger and garlic cooking until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Next you want to add the vegetables that will take the longest time to soften, like the onions.  When the harder ingredients are beginning to brown and soften I begin to make the sauce, adding the oyster sauce and about 2 tbsp soy and a spritz of vinegar

Then comes the fun part.  Add all remaining vegetables with the exception of the spinach and cook until done, but crunchy, about 6 minutes.  Now toss! Now the tofu and the spinach hit the wok and everything comes together.  Taste the sauce.  What does it need? More soy, pepper, maybe a dash of sesame oil or lime juice.  The possibilities are truly endless.

Serve the sloppy sloppy mess over rice and you will not be disappointed.

Sources: http://www.british-asparagus.co.uk/superfood.php, http://whfoods.org/

Picnic List:

Freshly sliced prosciutto di Parma
Hand pulled mozzarella
Cherry Tomatoes
Half of loaf of bread
Meaty green olives
A bottle of red wine
A handsome (half) Italian guy.

Oh, and a sunset ordered up special.

I think I have dreamt about this type of picnic most of my life. Some people dream of money or fame, but for me, its usually about food.

The cheese was superior, 6 small, white globes of cheese, floating in slightly milky water just waiting to be devoured.  They were so fresh I could peel them, layer by luscious layer.  Making mozzarella is almost as wonderful as eating it…kneading the curd in warm water with your hands, the long strands slowly coming together, wrapping around each other until the warm ball forms in your fingers, how great.

And the meat! Amazingly, but unsurprisingly, superior to anything store-bought in the US.  Prosciutto is Italy’s version to Jamón Serrano in Spain. Just like jamón it is crudo meaning that its raw but cured in salt and spices. Prosciutto however, has less salt which I believe instills a softer, smoother flavor and gentler texture.  But maybe its just that I’m in search of something different after eating a dangerous quantity of bocadillos de jamón in the last five months. Both meats are stamped with PDO or DOP (depending on your language) “Protected Designation of Origin” to demonstrate their authenticity and to differentiate taste. The diet of the pigs really does make a difference,  instead of belotas, some Italian pigs enjoy meals that include parmigiano reggiano cheese giving their meat a distinctly nutty flavor.

The bread and tomatoes were local, baked and harvested that morning, and the wine– well you can imagine.  It truly was the greatest picnic ever.

Well, he was half Italian anyway.

On a week long vacation, that played like a movie screen play, complete with the Trevi fountain at night, a roman beach town and buffalo mozzarella, I was cast as the wide eyed starlet…. with an appetite. 

I ate very well.  It is very hard not to eat well if you keep your eyes, ears, nose and mouth open at all times.  But my favorite meal is easy to spot.  On a Saturday night, my Italian and I made our way through the winding streets near the Piazza Navona and to a small pizzeria/restaurant called Da Franceso.  Ok, so it was in my Time Out guide book, but it was the crowd of stylisly noisey and young Italians that sucked me in.  Seated just outside the main door, I had a privileged view of the maitre d’  who ran the show on “Italian time.” Content to sip beer (wine would come with dinner) I awaited my pesto.

Brilliance, pure brilliance in my mouth.  This pesto was epitome of homey fare. The simple freshness and pureness of the ingredients have lodged its taste in my memory forever. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.  We also had a pizza with prosciutto and rocket. How cool that arugula gets to be called ROCKET in Italy.  I wish my name translated as well, maybe something like Electric!

Back with my computer both hungry and curious, I wanted to know: what is Pesto’s deal?  Well, Liguia, the capital of Italy’s northwestern Genova region is famous for this green sauce. Their Pesto alla Genovese combines basil, garlic, salt, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Italian olive oil together creating a flavor that is at once deep and earthy yet light and cleansing.

The word pesto comes from the way it is made: garlic, salt and basil leaves are mushed together using a mortar and pestle until they reach an almost creamy texture, then come the pine nuts followed by the oil and cheese. The best pesto, according to those Italians, comes from the smaller delicate leaves from at  the top of the plant, they yield a smooth and subtle flavor.  On the same note, you’ll want to remove any thick veins or stems as they could add a sour or acidic bite-ick!   A layer of oil atop the sauce will help maintain the color and prevent quick spoilage.  If you don’t use a canning method to preserve it (like you’d be able to keep your hands off this awesome sauce that long anyway…) pop it in the fridge.  And PS: If you do manage to show some self restraint (I cannot) pesto can be frozen for up to six months. (1)

Choosing your own quantities is the best part of homemade sauces like this one, personally, I like mine with a good garlicky bite, a few fresh tomatoes and a healthy dose of fresh black pepper.  Oh man,  I can’t wait for my basil crop to flourish later this summer.  Pesto Pasta is immediately in order, as is pesto chicken, minestrone with pesto on top and maybe a pesto mozzarella sandwich.

And if you make it to Rome…

Da Francesco

Piazza del Fico, 29
00186 Roma (Latium), Italy
+39 066 864009

Marrakesh is a sensual feast, the sounds of hundreds of voices speaking different languages, the grit of the dirt on my sweaty forehead, the smell of fresh cumin mixing with roasted meats and of course the transporting taste of mint tea, poured from a decorative silver pot high in the air.  There is no way to truly describe my four day stint in Marrakesh last week: it was the first time I have ever experienced culture shock, and it taught me a lot.

I do promise to move on to the culinary delights that I discovered, I just need to pontificate for one more moment.  The culture, at least to me, is very clearly in transition.  On one side of the street, a young women wears a full burka, and on the other, a teenager bears her belly a bit beneath a tight t-shirt. A motorcycle speeds by playing pop music, while a donkey heaves the weight of Moroccan ceramic behind him. Ok, ok, I’m off my soap box. I just can’t say enough about how interesting it was to visit somewhere totally different.  Coming home to Madrid felt almost like coming home to Minnesota in comparison.

SO! TO THE MEAT OF THE MATTER (literally). Let’s begin.  The Djemma El Fna (say Je-ma-fna) Square is the hub of activity in Marrakesh.  By day, it bustles with monkeys, snake charmers and men selling the most wonderful fresh squeezed orange juice, but by night it is a full blown grill-off.  The air fills with smoke and the scent of browning meats, and competing venders tempt you with their menus in four or five languages.  Doesn’t matter if you’re full, they want you to eat more.

My dinner started off with a bang of protein, small sausages and sweet-hot tomato chutney with warm flat bread.  Honestly, it wasn’t far off from a very tasty polish sausage…we aren’t as different as we think…

Then came the snails.  I can’t say I liked them. In fact, I really didn’t.  I’ll stick with the french-ifed version with pleanty of butter.

Moving on, kababs of chicken and veggies, lamb and beef all marinated in ras al hanout, I believe.  Ras el Hanout is a mixture of spices and everyone does it a little differently but normally, it includes cardamon, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, coriander, paprika and more. Its name means “Head of Shop” because the best spices are selected.  One of the things my family and I purchased (along with a drum made of fish skin, fake Ray Ban sunglasses, and a very old soup spoon) was a big bag of this spice mix.

I think dessert was my favorite part.  This tea in the photo is not mint, but rather ginger and ginseng. And that cake! It is like the most intense spice cake you’ve ever tasted but stronger, richer, and more honest. It doesn’t hold together but rather just melts into a hot mess in your mouth. I will cherish its taste my tongue forever.

Tired, full and dusty, I collapsed in my bed, ready to head to the High Atlas mountains the next morning….

Hola amigos. Estoy en Madrid y estoy comiendo muchas cosas interestes y deliciosos!

Hello from Madrid.  I’ve been in the city for four days and I’m already eating my way through the city. I’ll be here for the next four months, so keep checking.  When I finally get a daily routine, want to write at least four times a week, marking the most memorable moments.  But first, a few observations in the first hours.

First, eating late is not nearly as difficult as I anticipated. Staying out, however and not getting tired in the middle of the day, is impossible and requires a siesta after lunch or a mega-espresso. Luckily, both are abundant.
Second, the coffee in the morning is simply better here.  I think it is because the milk is unpasteurized. At the Hotel Regina, the hot milk sat right next to the coffee in the same kind of heater. It came out in a thick stream, mixing with the deep brown liquid in my cup with latte-like deliciousness.

Third, it’s difficult not to stop in every single tiny eatery for a bite.  The long legs of ham hanging in the window and the inviting counter tops filled with little plates of cheese, olives and meat call to me….

And fourth, I love that when you sit at the bar and order wine the bar tenders keep handing you little tastes of things, homemade chips, fresh slices of manchego, bright green meaty olives and bite size rosemary sausage.  And that wine? It’s like Switzerland with its budget chocolate that is better than Godiva, the Vino de Casa is (usually) a rioja and always pleases the tongue, placates the wallet and perfectly matches the food.

For now that is all…. so much more to come. But I’ll leave you with this: though these “gambas a la plancha” (grilled shrimp) were nothing to write home about, the pictures turned out really well.

This is a group project.  What are your 10 favorite eats from this Christmas Holiday?

Here are mine, in no order necessarily. I should mention that I journey to Milwaukee every year for a five day stint with my large Polish extended family.  The holiday involves Bowling at 9am on December 24th and drinking the obligatory shorty beers that only seem to inhabit the south side, many vodka tonics and a fare amount of meat, herring and sweet pastries.  So, with out further ado, here we go.

1. My once-a-year Polish Sausage on Christmas Eve
2. Malpeque Oysters at Maxie’s Southern Comfort Restaurant and Bar in Milwaukee
3. Prime Rib at Bluemound Country Club on Christmas Day
4. Artichoke salad with Arugula, red pepper and sun dried tomatoes
5. Milwaukee-Style Chocolate Custard
6. Creamed Herring
7. Cranberry-Almond Biscotti (I made this one!)
8. Duck Breast with dried cherries
9. Copious amounts of Peel-and-eat Shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce
10. Pan Fried Lake Trout

This was a wonderful Christmas.  I hope that yours has been equally as satisfying. I’ve returned home and how its time to kick into New Years: we’re having a huge bash, and I’m making stew! More on that later….