Season's produce brightens summer meals

Season's produce brightens summer meals

Asparagus, spinach, new peas, strawberries — delightful produce is brightening market counters and our gardens will soon follow. Today, the Country Chef offers some tasty and savory goodies to welcome the season.

Our illustration shows a plate of asparagus, salmon and parslied new potatoes — simple and delectable. With just a little added touch, though, that asparagus can gain a new personality, as follows.

Sesame asparagus

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut in pieces, or left as spears, as desired

2 tbsp (1/4 stick) butter

1 tsp oriental sesame oil

4 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp soy sauce

Toasted sesame seeds

Cook asparagus in boiling water until almost crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool.

Melt butter with sesame oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Drain and pat asparagus dry, add to skillet and sauté till crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Mix in lemon juice and soy sauce and toss to coat; transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Pasta Primavera

Asparagus and shelled new peas are the requirements for a delicious pasta dish — here’s an easy trick to make it faster and easier.

While pasta cooks in a large kettle of boiling, salted water, have shelled peas and 1-inch pieces of asparagus at hand; when pasta is just a few minutes short of done, add them to the water for the final 4-plus minutes of cooking.

Drain all together into a colander, shake once and pour into a large heated bowl. Toss with olive oil/butter to coat lightly, dust with pepper and shaved Parmesan, and serve with warm baguettes and a glass of pinot grigio. Sensational!

Spinach will soon pop up in great quantities in our gardens. Enjoy it in this cheesy quiche.

Savory Spinach quiche

1 tbsp butter

1 3/4 cups thin-sliced mushrooms

1 firm-packed pint of chopped fresh (stemmed) spinach OR 12-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, cooked and crumbled OR 1 package soy sausage patties, heated and crumbled

3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

2 eggs, beaten together

3 tbsps milk

2 tbsps finely chopped parsley

1 tbsp minced chives

1 baked 9-inch deep-dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cause until softened and beginning to brown slightly, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in sausage, cheese, eggs, milk and herbs. Spoon into crust and bake until tester in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Note: If using fresh spinach, you may need up to 1/4 cup of milk for the best quiche consistency.

Spinach, strawberries and sugar snap peas, and young scallions join with the surprise of tofu and mandarin oranges for this fabulous salad, perfect alone or to serve with grilled chicken breast or halibut fillets.

Springtime salad

4 cups EACH baby spinach leaves and mixed baby salad greens

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 15-ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained

8 ounces sugar snap peas, cut into halves or thirds

1 package firm plain tofu, drained, rinsed, and cut into 1-inch square cubes

1/2 cup walnut or pecan halves, lightly toasted

1/4 cup chopped scallions with tops OR 2 tbsps finely chopped fresh chives

1/2 cup Litehouse raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Gently mix all ingredients in a large salad bowl, lifting to incorporate tofu and mandarins so as not to tear or break them up. Pass extra dressing.

Beautiful, ripe, local strawberries shine at their best in this quick and easy “cheese-cake” pie.

Strawberry pie

1 9-inch baked pastry shell or graham cracker crumb crust

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk!)

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla (or almond) extract1 quart fresh strawberries, cleaned, hulled, whole or halved (if large)

1 16-ounce package prepared strawberry glaze OR strawberry jelly or jam, chilled

In a large mixer bowl, beat cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon and vanilla, and pour into the prepared crust. Chill for 3 hours or until set. Top with prepared strawberries, standing upright or layered cut-sides down. Cover with glaze in the amount desired. Serve as is, or with real whipped cream, as preferred.

Note: Please wait for fresh, local, or close-at-hand berries. Those giant, cardboard-y monsters do not compare with real, fragrant, juicy at-home berries.

(Editor’s note: For many years, Valle Novak wrote gardening and cooking columns for the Daily Bee. “Weekend Gardener” and “Country Chef” became renowned for their humor, information, and common sense advice on how to do everything from planting to cooking. While she recently passed away, she has left behind a number of columns to share with and delight her many fans. This is one such column and was originally published on April 18, 2010.)