Asparagus Dip just in time for Spring!

Asparagus is remarkable stuff. I have loved the taste for most of my life but never knew how truly great it could be until I grew it in my garden.

Asparagus officinallis

The 175-year old house that we bought had many wonderful things about it. It had a creek, it was set on a river… and it had a very mature asparagus patch! It was overgrown when we took over that August so many years ago but it took to taming and lo and behold on May 6^th the next year… there were asparagus poking their little necks from the soil.

Asparagus growing

At first I thought it was a joke being played on me since they shoot up just as they are… but no, they were attached!

They need to be picked fairly regularly for 1 month. After that the asparagus must be allowed to bolt and make lovely asparagus ferns to nourish themselves for the next season. It takes a few years to get a bed going and the plants need to be dug very deeply to be most successful. It is a good deal of work but the result will be worth it and will continue for decades!

Asparagus.org

As any gardener knows, it is the thick stalk that is the healthiest and most flavorful, not the pencil thin stalks. Asparagus.org tells us that it is a member of the lily family and a spear can grow 10” in one day so if you have a weekend garden you can leave on Sunday with a bag of asparagus and a barren patch and return on Friday night to find a forest of 3’ tall specimens! They still can be eaten but will be quite tough as they get closer to the ground.

Freshly cut from the garden, asparagus is staggeringly good with not much else but butter and maybe a bit of lemon. I have loved roasting them (500º slathered in olive oil for 10 minutes) since it concentrates the flavor but usually I just steam them.

I don’t do dips as a rule… not really much at all. But a have a few that I return to year after year and this is one of them. It doesn’t have a name aside from "the asparagus dip" and I have no idea where it came from… perhaps a NY restaurant years gone by. It is simple and so very good with other vegetables too. Since it’s made with tofu it is a lovely vegetarian dish.

Asparagus Dip

¼ c silken tofu

¼ c mild flavored vegetable oil (I used Macadamia which was recommended by Deborah at A Doctor's Kitchen and is really a great oil)

2 T Rice Wine Vinegar

2 T Sesame oil

1T Soy Sauce

1 small clove garlic, crushed

chervil for garnish

Throw it all into the blender and you’re done. This is enough for 1 bunch of asparagus.

My old asparagus patch...

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Super Bowl Meat Balls with Devil’s Own Dip … and a Thank You Giveaway*****

Wikipedia tells me Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. Bet that got your attention foodies (George Clooney helped too)!

Leatherheads, George Clooney

Football is one of the world's most ancient games, but American Football only dates to the 1890s, popularized in high schools and colleges as well as on the professional field.

The sport took center stage in 1967 when the Super Bowl was born. On January 12, 1969 when the Baltimore Colts were beaten by the New York Jets of the fledgling American Football League the audience exploded. The next year, the leagues merged, and over the next 40 years the Super Bowl has become America's most watched sporting event –– it's become a gathering of friends and family nearly as essential as Thanksgiving dinner or the 4th of July barbecue.

1984

"Following Apple Computer's 1984 commercial introducing the Macintosh computer, directed by Ridley Scott, the broadcast of the Super Bowl became the premier showcase for high concept or simply extravagantly expensive commercials.

Budweiser Clydesdales

Famous commercial campaigns include the Budweiser "Bud Bowl" campaign, and the 1999 and 2000 dot-com ads. Prices have increased each year, with advertisers paying as much as $3 million for a 30-second spot during Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. A segment of the audience tunes in to the Super Bowl solely to watch the creative commercials.

Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 holds the record for total U.S. viewership, attracting an audience of 98.7 million and ranking second only to the final episode of M*A*S*H* for total audience."**

I used to host a Super Bowl party for couples. I lived in a loft that was long and narrow at that time. The men were at one end with their favorite foods and beer, and the girls were at the other watching a chick flick and eating a lot of chocolate and fancy finger foods with wine and champagne. Everyone brought favorite dishes and shared.

I give you one of mine… for the boys in the front room. Go football!

Mom’s Meat Balls with The Devil’s Own Dip

1 lb. ground beef

1 t. salt

1/2 t. sage

1/2 t. thyme

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. pepper

1/4 c chopped onion

1/2 c flour

1/4 c oil

Season beef with spices and salt and add chopped onion. Roll into balls.  Roll in flour and fry in oil till just brown.

1 egg

1 Tb water

1 c panko crumbs

1/2 c finely chopped pecans

1/2 t salt

oil for deep frying

Roll the already fried balls in blended egg and water then roll in combined panko and pecans and fry until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot or room temp for an appetizer with the dip.

Devil’s Own Dip:

1/4 c soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced 

2 T. Brown sugar
2 T. Rice vinegar
1/4 t. 5 spice powder

1 egg

1 T Dry mustard (more if you want it hotter!)
3/4 c oil (Safflower or canola)

3 T toasted sesame oil

Boil first 4 ingredients gently till reduced to 1/4 cup, then add 5 spice. Cool. Add egg to processor, then mustard and process for 30 seconds. Add oil gradually to make a mayonnaise. Add the reduced sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

This sauce is also good for cold roast beef, chicken fingers even shrimp! It’s a great sauce –– I often make double to have a little extra! I’ve had this recipe for years and years so I’m sorry I can’t give credit where credit is due –– and it is due!

** Thanks to Wikipedia for all the Football info!