The Goods
 Lenny's Favorite TODAY!
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We know spring is finally here when our local market sprouts the graceful stalks of green goodness that give hollandaise sauce its raison d’être. California asparagus always stars on our Easter menus, and we can’t get enough of it from February to May. Grown in the San Joaquin River delta region around Stockton, California, home to the annual asparagus festival (http://www.asparagusfest.com/) asparagus is one of America’s favorite vegetables, and right now it is fresh and fabulous.
A member of the lily family, asparagus is a perennial plant that will produce for up to 15 years. Asparagus plants can grow up to 10 inches in 24 hours! At harvest asparagus are graded by size, from small (“pencil”) to colossal, and packed in special crates that protect the delicate stalks. The first asparagus of the season are the tenderest. Though the large and small grades are equally tender, the stalks become tougher later in the season. To remove the tough ends, bend the stalk gently between your hands and it will break where the tough and tender parts meet. For a more elegant presentation, trim a half inch off the bottom and use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer layers from the stalk’s lower end.
Though we blanch asparagus in well-salted boiling water when we serve it with hollandaise sauce, we love to toss it with extra virgin olive oil, coarse salt and black pepper and roast it on a baking sheet at 450 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Cut up leftover cooked asparagus (if you have any!) and toss in vinaigrette; garnish with capers, shallots and grated hard cooked eggs. Wrap smoked salmon or prosciutto around cooked asparagus spears for an elegant appetizer. However you serve it, this beautiful green bunch will make you want to celebrate spring.
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