In my column today in The Bee, I lay out the procedure for making shaved asparagus -- a dish that requires no cooking, just some tender spears, fine slicing and the finest Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. This dish is a regular on the menu at Oliveto. Last night, I prepared it at home with some Riverdog Farm asparagus. It accompanied roast chicken and potatoes with rosemary.
This is what it the salad looked like -- at least for a few seconds.
Then it was gone.
On the jump is the text of my column, in case you have trouble finding it on The Bee's Web site.
If you're like me, you've probably struggled over the years with techniques for cooking asparagus.
You can steam it.
You can wrap it with prosciutto and grill it.
You can blanch it and then plunge it into ice water to stop the cooking process and keep it green.
With care, all those techniques work. But if you are a few seconds late to the party, your asparagus ends up limp and overcooked. Party over.
Why bother?
If your spears are young and tender, just slice them up thin and eat the little disks. At Oliveto, one of the most popular salads is thinly sliced asparagus with shavings of Parmigano-Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese on top.
This is a gorgeous salad. The multiple asparagus circles grab your eye and invite you to explore with your fork. Once in your mouth, the asparagus gives off a crunch, complemented by the earthy flavor of the cheese and the tang of a dressing that could be as simple as olive oil and lemon juice.
There are two keys to this dish: 1) Finding tender, tasty but not too thin asparagus. 2) Owning a very sharp chef's knife that can slice these disks as thin as possible.
The slicing is crucial. You slice the spears straight across or at an angle to get ovals instead of small rounds. But keep them thin - no more than an eighth of inch, preferably smaller.
And remember - slice, don't chop. Move the blade forward as you slice down, and watch your fingers.
Once you've prepared your asparagus circles or ovals, you face a decision: How to dress them? My advice is to keep it simple. Use high-quality olive oil and just a little acid. Champagne vinegar would work, or better yet, a little Meyer lemon juice and zest.
Once you have dressed your asparagus (adding just a little salt and black pepper), spread the circles across a plate. The next step is to shave (not grate) a generous amount of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, and your salad is ready to be served.
Feel free to experiment with different kinds of asparagus.
At Oliveto, the chefs are currently enamored with a brand called "Purple Haze," which is organically grown in Firebaugh, in the San Joaquin Valley.
The purple color adds an unexpected color to a dish that is already bright with texture and taste.
It will make you want to kiss the sky.
Photos by Stuart Leavenworth
You can steam it.
You can wrap it with prosciutto and grill it.
You can blanch it and then plunge it into ice water to stop the cooking process and keep it green.
With care, all those techniques work. But if you are a few seconds late to the party, your asparagus ends up limp and overcooked. Party over.
Why bother?
If your spears are young and tender, just slice them up thin and eat the little disks. At Oliveto, one of the most popular salads is thinly sliced asparagus with shavings of Parmigano-Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese on top.
This is a gorgeous salad. The multiple asparagus circles grab your eye and invite you to explore with your fork. Once in your mouth, the asparagus gives off a crunch, complemented by the earthy flavor of the cheese and the tang of a dressing that could be as simple as olive oil and lemon juice.
There are two keys to this dish: 1) Finding tender, tasty but not too thin asparagus. 2) Owning a very sharp chef's knife that can slice these disks as thin as possible.
The slicing is crucial. You slice the spears straight across or at an angle to get ovals instead of small rounds. But keep them thin - no more than an eighth of inch, preferably smaller.
And remember - slice, don't chop. Move the blade forward as you slice down, and watch your fingers.
Once you've prepared your asparagus circles or ovals, you face a decision: How to dress them? My advice is to keep it simple. Use high-quality olive oil and just a little acid. Champagne vinegar would work, or better yet, a little Meyer lemon juice and zest.
Once you have dressed your asparagus (adding just a little salt and black pepper), spread the circles across a plate. The next step is to shave (not grate) a generous amount of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, and your salad is ready to be served.
Feel free to experiment with different kinds of asparagus.At Oliveto, the chefs are currently enamored with a brand called "Purple Haze," which is organically grown in Firebaugh, in the San Joaquin Valley.
The purple color adds an unexpected color to a dish that is already bright with texture and taste.
It will make you want to kiss the sky.
Photos by Stuart Leavenworth
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