Asparagus
Springtime is here, as I've already mentioned, and that means that the markets have some new things to offer. Asparagus is one of the main events, and the Dutch people take asparagus really seriously. And asparagus is often served with hollandaise sauce, and hollandaise sauce...hey that must have some connection to Holland, right?
Right, says Wikipedia.
See this produce seller below? They're at the Saturday market every week, and for the past few weeks it seems they only sell four things: asparagus, strawberries, tomatoes, and mushrooms. And see the crates and crates of asparagus that line the front as well as wrap around the left side? They look the same, but they're not. I have no idea how they're not the same, but they vary in price from €3 per kilo all the way to €9.50 per kilo!! And no, the color of the photo is not wrong - people here seem to prefer the white asparagus.
I decided to buy some €4 per kilo asparagus (not the cheapest, but not too expensive), and tried this recipe from NY Times's Melissa Clark (link here). Usually I don't like to read her column since it always has the same set up: 1) she doesn't know what to do, 2) she experiments and improvises like a brilliant genius, 3) her results get great applause all around. But I was looking for an asparagus recipe and I saw the article about baking it in parchment paper packets (with ham and mushrooms) to avoid overcooking. Well, the article said it would take 1 hour at low temperature, whereas it took me 2 hours. The result was pretty good - crisp with clear asparagus flavor.
Since it's spring, I decided to post just two more gratuitous flower pictures. The changing of the seasons is all the more meaningful after so many months of nonstop grey skies and rain.
