I ate all the asparagus, which thankfully had been
cooked long enough so as to have lost its smelliness.

What! Cooked a long time? No! I hate overcooked asparagus. To me

Everything in its context. Mine was looking forward
to several hours in a metal tube, under the influence
of Lasix. The prospect of stinking up the lav for
the other 19 passengers was not a pretty one.

it is best blanched 1-3 minutes tops, then shocked in ice water.
After that it can be served cold with a vinaigrette or reheated
briefly in a saute pan with garlic butter. Thick stalks can be nice
blanched, shocked and then quickly grilled.

I like it stir-fried in a mixture of oil and butter
and splashed with a small amount of soy sauce. Blanched
and eaten almost raw is nice. Raw right from the ground
is kind of nice - you can even nibble the overripe fronds.
Roasted in a hot oven until almost crisp, Parmesan shavings
added toward the end, that's surprisingly nice. These were
like that but minus the cheese.

Also don't discard the tough woody bottom stem ends as most recipes
suggest. Boil them gently for 30-40 minutes in just enough water to
cover, puree everything in a blender, return everything to the pot and
cook another 10 minutes, Then sieve the results and break up as much
woody fibre as you can pressing down on the sieve with a rubber
spatula. Discard only the mess that stays behind after you've
pressed out all the liquid you can. Make soup from the sieved broth.

That's a good tip, if you like pee soup. Semi-just
kidding; I've been known to make and eat asparagus
soup of various kinds. And enjoy the malodorous
excretory effects.

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.01

Title: X's Spinach Salad
Categories: Salads
Yield: 4 servings

-----------------------------------SALAD-----------------------------------
2 Bunches spinach, washed, 2 Tomatoes, cut into
wedges
Drained, stems removed 4 Strips bacon, crumbled
1 Onion, thinly sliced 1 cn Asparagus spears
2 Eggs, hard cooked, chopped

----------------------------------DRESSING----------------------------------
1/2 c Sugar 1/2 c Vinegar
1 c Safflower oil 1 ts Whole celery seeds
1 ts Mustard 1 tb Grated onion
1 ts Salt

Prepare dressing first: blend together sugar, oil, mustard and salt. Add
vinegar, celery seeds and grated onion; shake or beat well. Chill.

Mix together all salad ingredients, except asparagus spears. Pour
chilled
dressing over all and toss until well coated. Arrange asparagus spears
on
top. Chill well before serving. It is best the next day.

Source: X, who is in hiding

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