Emeril's Asparagus Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The asparagus crop here in the Pacific Northwest appears not to have been hurt by our strange spring weather. I have so much of it that I've had to research ways in which to use it. I came across an asparagus soup recipe develop by Emeril Lagasse that sounded good enough to eat. It turned out to be that and more. The soup is decidedly understated and could be elegant if served in small cups or terrines. I opted to serve bowls of it as part of a salad supper. This is a creamy soup that achieves its smoothness without the addition of large quantities of milk or cream. No part of the asparagus is wasted in its preparation. Even the woody stalks are simmered to make the both in which the other vegetables are cooked. I will make this soup again during asparagus season. It would be prohibitively expensive at other times of year. The recipe can be halved or doubled depending on your needs. This soup would also be delicious with the addition of a good curry powder. Here's the recipe as it was originally developed.

Quinoa Spring Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've only recently begun to experiment with the grains that have become popular in restaurants and are featured on some of the more health oriented blog sites. Quinoa, usually in salad form, appears on the menus of most restaurants in my area. We've had a week of heavy, high caloric eating, and I thought today would be a good day to begin to work with some recipes for quinoa salads I've been saving. To be honest, I chose this one as ground zero because I had all of the ingredients on hand. The salad is simple to assemble, and I'm delighted to tell you that the Silver Fox, a committed carnivore, actually ate and liked it. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and made no changes to there ingredients list. If you like salads with a hint of lemon lurking in the background, I know you will like this one. It is easy and inexpensive to make and I've added it to my semi-permanent recipe rotation. Do give it a try. Here is how it's made.

Asparagus and Mushroom Fried Rice

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm still working my way through an over-zealous purchase of asparagus. My family loves it, and at this time of year it floods markets at ridiculously low prices. I can't resist a bargain, so I usually end up with more of it than I need, and as a result I'm constantly on the look out for new ways in which to prepare it. This lovely recipe, from The Perfect Pantry, is not pretty to look at, but it is delicious and I know those of you who like fried-rice will love this version. It is substantial enough to be served as a light entree, but most of you will want to serve it as a side dish. It's packed with flavor and it's a terrific accompaniment to plain grilled chicken or pork. My only caution in making this, or any other fried rice for that matter, is to be sure and use day old or cold cooked rice. Freshly made rice turns gummy an makes a decidedly unpleasant stir-fry. You have to be careful with a dish like this. Everyone knows what it should taste like and they can be unforgiving if you stray too far off base. While the ingredients used here are different, they make a wonderfully flavorful dish that is interesting and will appeal to all but the most timid palates. Here is how the rice is made.

Chinese Noodle Bowls with Asparagus, Mushrooms and Eggs

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We are having a heat wave, and meals that seemed like great ideas several days ago, now seem heavy and unappealing. I had a ton, actually it's more like three pounds, of asparagus sitting in the refrigerator, and I thought I could use it in a few lighter entrees that would be more appropriates on these steamy days. While the Google search engine and I are not always on speaking terms, it sent some new asparagus recipes my way, and I spent the later part of the afternoon experimenting with my bounty. I want to share a couple of the keepers with you this week. Tonight's feature came from the Incredible Egg site, which you can find here. The recipe is for Chinese noodle bowls that contain asparagus, mushrooms and eggs. The eggs are handled in the same way as those that are used to make Spaghetti Carbonara, but this dish is more mildly flavored. The noodles are quite nice and perfect for warm weather or asparagus season. While I think you will enjoy them, I do not want to mislead you. This is not an Asian noodle recipe. It's for an all-American dish that happens to use Chinese noodles and sesame seeds. It has several things going for it, among which is the speed with which it can be prepared. The recipe is also scaled to feed two or three people, depending on how hungry they are, so it would make a great addition to the recipe collections of those who are now cooking for two. I know many of you have carnivores at the table, and, if you wish, chicken or pork can be added to the ingredients without changing the basic nature of the dish. The bowls can be on the table in less than 30 minutes, and as Martha use to say, "That's a good thing." Here is how the bowls are made.