Roasted Asparagus with Dijon Vinaigrette

I'm not dictatorial about it, but I do prefer to eat seasonally.  Strawberries are a Summer food, for example - whether bought at a roadside stand or, ideally, picked at a farm - and lesser flavorless specimens should simply not be schlepped thousands of miles from warmer climates so that people can consume them in Michigan in the middle of Winter.  I have spoken!

And asparagus is one of those foods that, to me, is simply integral to a particular season: Spring.  So, since Spring officially begins today, this simple but delicious dish seemed the perfect offering.

Many people aren't aware of this, but you can politely pick up asparagus with your fingers to eat it.  That would be a bit messy here, though; it would also prohibit sharing a bit of the vegetable with a taste of the egg that complements it so well.  So resort to your fork this time, but don't forget that asparagus is really finger food!

This vegetable dish would be lovely at either your Passover Seder or your Easter dinner - both holidays are fast approaching.  Roasting the asparagus intensifies its flavor, so it's delicious to serve to guests; and the egg, of course, is symbolic for both holidays.

But you should really just enjoy this simply because Winter is officially over!

Roasted Asparagus with Egg and Dijon Vinaigrette

1 bunch asparagus
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon + generous sprinkling of kosher salt
2 hard-boiled eggs
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
generous sprinkling of black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Place the asparagus onto a baking sheet; drizzle with the 2 tablespoons oil and the 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Roast for 20  minutes, until fork-tender.  Let cool to room temperature.

Peel the eggs.  Use an egg slicer to cut them first in one direction and then in the other, to make small shreds.  (If you don't have an egg slicer, just chop the eggs.)

Combine the 2 teaspoons oil, lemon juice, and mustard.

Place the asparagus onto a serving platter and sprinkle the egg over it; generously sprinkle salt and pepper over everything.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad for the EMU Game

Last week's game against Notre Dame was AMAZING!!! A come-from-behind touchdown with 2 seconds left gave Michigan a 35-31 lead, and Notre Dame had no time or opportunity left. This was a game so big that ESPN's "College Game Day" show was based here in Ann Arbor, the Goodyear blimp was hovering over the stadium, and scalpers were seeking as much as $4000 for some tickets! And we won!

Now, this week, next door neighbor Eastern Michigan University - from just 5 miles down the road - is coming to The Big House on Saturday.

Sadly, this isn't particularly a fair play date: Eastern is a small school from the MAC conference rather than Michigan's Big 10. Eastern also doesn't have a particularly stellar football history, though they did beat Howard University in style in their season opener, 41-9. They're also 2-0 for the first time since 1998 after beating Alabama State last weekend. I'll spare you my rant about these uneven match-ups; I'm just here for the food, after all!

So, what food to offer for a game between Eastern and U of M? And what to serve when the weather 'round here can go from morning temperatures in the 90s to thunderstorms in the afternoon, followed immediately by days of highs in the 60s?

Pasta. Everyone loves it, it's easy to make, it goes with almost everything and is appropriate no matter what the weather is. I even made it green and white to honor Eastern's team colors. A girl's gotta have some fun with feeding the masses for the football games, after all!

Eastern Michigan University at University of Michigan
Saturday, September 17 at 12 p.m. EDT
GO BLUE!!!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad

6 asparagus spears, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup green beans, cut into 1" pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
12 ounces green and white rotini
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup jarred pepperoncini, drained, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pesto
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400F. Place the asparagus and beans into a pie pan; toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized.

Prepare rotini according to package directions; drain and rinse under cold water, then place into a large mixing bowl.

Add the roasted vegetables to the mixing bowl, along with the feta, pepperoncini, oregano, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Combine the pesto, lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of oil; pour over the salad and toss to coat.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Summer Vegetable and Bacon Sandwich

Tom and I ate dinner together the other night, and made ourselves a hot, open-faced sandwich very typical of what he eats on a regular basis. Tom often stir-fries vegetables, and he adores sandwiches; so we combined them into one happy dish.

His sister Anne (whom we consider to be our guardian angel) had recently visited from Kentucky and very much wanted to shop at Zingerman's, since she regularly gets their catalogues. So Tom had taken her to the Bakehouse to buy coffee cakes and other treats, both for gifts and for herself ('cause she's worth it!). And, well, of course he couldn't leave there without buying himself a present too - a loaf of Sicilian Sesame Semolina Bread.

So, for our dinner we started with one slice each of the bread, lightly toasted so that it wouldn't be too crispy when we tried to cut into it. We then peered into the refrigerator and found a lovely assortment of fresh vegetables, as well as some fabulous maple-flavored bacon. Toss in a little bit of the white cheddar that I'd contributed to the cause, and voila - dinner!

This was immensely flavorful, easy to make, and was a perfect light meal for a summer evening.

Summer Vegetable and Bacon Sandwich

5 slices maple-flavored bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 small red onion, halved, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise, sliced
6 asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 slices Zingerman's Sesame Semolina Bread
2 slices white cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium until starting to turn golden. Add onion, garlic, zucchini and asparagus; cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes until vegetables are tender and caramelized. Add spinach, salt and pepper; turn off heat, and let spinach wilt.

Lightly toast the slices of bread.

Place 1 slice of toast onto each of 2 serving plates. Divide vegetable-bacon mixture, pouring it over the toast. Top with cheese and microwave for 30 seconds or so, just until melted.

Serve immediately, with pickles or chips or fruit on the side.

Serves 2.

Lenten Friday: Asparagus Bread Pudding with Mushroom Gravy

I love bread pudding, and make some -- if I may say so myself! -- pretty exceptional (and prize-winning) dessert versions, loaded with varieties of chocolate chips and with flavored cocoa mixes added to the custard.

But I was in the mood for a savory bread pudding recently, and also had some roasted asparagus to use up. Well, since bread pudding is a great way to repurpose excess/leftover bread, why not throw some excess/leftover vegetables into the mix, too???

And so, for dinner one night Tom and I took some whole wheat English muffins that had been staring out of my refrigerator for awhile, begging for a reason to justify their existence ... the lingering asparagi ... a small scrap of cheese that had been hanging around since St. Paddy's Day ... and we turned it all into a magnificent feast!

I also had a lot of half-and-half that had originally been intended for some other concoction -- I can't even remember what, anymore -- which never materialized. So it found its way into a gravy that was not only a perfect complement to the pudding, but which would also be exceptional with meatloaf, with chicken, over pasta ... sigh.

This is a quick, easy, and delicious meal whose beauty is completely and totally greater than the sum of its parts.

Roasted Asparagus Bread Pudding with Mushroom Gravy

Pudding:
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 whole wheat English muffins, halved and cut into 2" pieces
2/3 cup chopped roasted asparagus
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9" glass pie pan.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, salt, pepper, milk, half-and-half and mustard. Add the English muffin pieces and soak for 10 minutes, stirring and pressing down occasionally so that the custard is absorbed a bit.



Stir in the asparagus, and place the mixture into the pie pan. Sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for 35 minutes until the pudding is browned and puffed up, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.



Gravy:
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 ounces mushroom, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons unbleached flour
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup half-and-half

While the pudding is in the oven, make the gravy. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, the mushrooms, the salt, lemon pepper and pepper flakes; cook for 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms are softening, then add the remaining butter and cook until it melts.

Stir in the flour and coat everything with it. Combine the wine, milk and half-and-half; slowly pour over the mushroom mixture, stirring to incorporate the liquid with each pour, before adding the next increment. When the liquid has all been added, let the gravy come to a boil; then lower heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the bread pudding is ready.

Cut the bread pudding into 8 servings, and pour gravy over the top of each portion to serve.