Balsamic Butter Sauce on Baked Asparagus

Man I love how easy asparagus recipes are, coming from several months of complicated and time-consuming eggplant dishes.  It's also nice to transition to a vegetable that doesn't have to be cooked the heck out of, unlike the eggplant.

This Balsamic Butter Sauce on Baked Asparagus recipe called to me immediately.  Balsamic and butter?!  So easy!  Give me a reason why I shouldn't make it.  It's great as is-- buttery, salty, sweet.  A good snack or side to baked chicken. 

Asparagus Strawberry Salad

I came home one day from the grocery store, bearing a big bunch of asparagus spears.  That same day, my boyfriend also came home from the grocery store, bearing a big box of strawberries.  Right away, I smelled a delicious salad brewing.

It was fantastically simple.  I lightly steamed my asparagus spears (very lightly, just 2 minutes), cut some spinach leaves, and thickly sliced some strawberries.  Simply because I had it on hand, I added some chopped mint and cilantro for an extra salad flavor.  I used a lemon-maple syrup-olive oil-red wine vinegar combination for the dressing and added 3-4 shakes of ground ginger to top it off.  Drizzle the dressing over your prettily arranged dish, and you've got an excellent spring salad.  Delicious and pretty!

Sparrow Grass

ASPARAGUS is my next vegetable that I am very happy to explore!  It has been often overlooked in my life.  I got used to asparagus, as sad as it is, through the typical dry-chicken-and-vegetables dinners you get at hotel conference room gatherings.  I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about.  The plate comes with a piece of chicken and some steamed cauliflower, coined carrots and two asparagus spears-- as bland and neutral as can be. 

To make up for the drab way I've been introduced to asparagus, I hope to make some extremely flavorful, juicy and refreshing asparagus dishes during the next several months.  While researching, I found The Kitchen Project, the most interesting site about the history of the vegetable.  There you can find facts like how peasants from long ago used to call asparagus "Sparrow Grass." 

I also learned through this site that I really want to grow asparagus.  They seem like kind of a commitment though, with 2-3 years underground before you can get a full harvest yield out of them.  It is possible for asparagus to grow 6 to 7 inches in one day, which is an incredible feat!  I just want to be able to witness that.  Of course, the most well-known facts about asparagus are its health benefits and its affect on urine odor.  To learn more about the health benefits, check out Healthier Talk.

Spring Garden!

In my very first post, I wrote about my goal to improve my garden.  I finally now am reporting back to you.  Ever the dissatisfied, I wish I could show you more and better images, but I am still quite proud of the garden I have now.  On the left you'll see some lettuce, snow peas, arugula, kale and aloe vera.

Below you can see four strawberry plants, mini-roses, a blueberry bush, a few baby cherry tomato plants and more lettuce. 

Not pictured, I have carrots, giant sunflowers (to eat, of course), some herbs and an artichoke plant, my pride and joy.

I saw a huge artichoke plant on my walk the other day.  It's this giant plant, hunkered in someone's front yard!  They missed the boat on the harvest, which is such a shame.  Large, organic artichokes are so valuable-- don't they know what they have?!  Ah well.  You can be sure when mine grows I'll definitely be harvesting it for a fine dinner. 

Wrapping Up (the Eggplant)

I went through many more eggplant recipes than I actually posted.  And I chose to post only those recipes that starred the eggplant or were drastically improved by its addition.  Cooked eggplant is incredibly versatile and can be thrown into virtually any dish, turning that dish into an "eggplant recipe."  I encountered a lot of those, so I posted only those which seemed worthy of having "eggplant" in its title. 

I found a lot though and am proud of my efforts in finding diverse, delicious, elegant and simple recipes to use that eggplant sitting in the fridge.  Never much an eggplant person, I now have such experience and knowledge in spotlighting this often ignored ingredient.

My last word of advice is to go crazy.  If you have eggplant, cook it up using the many different (yet so similar) ways and add it to whatever dish you're making: burgers, pastas, stir-fry, sandwiches, dips, and so much more.  I have found that many, and maybe even most, eggplant recipes will also use tomato and Parmesan cheese.  If you're shopping, remember that combination and you're pretty safe.  Eggplant also goes really well with salty, sweet or spicy marinades so stock up on your vinegars, spices and sauces. 

I have found some great dishes perfect for hosting guests.  Still left to try are fried eggplant balls, red pepper eggplant soup, and the ever popular eggplant Parmesan, which I simply never got around to.  I hope this encourages your own adventures with this delicious love-it-or-hate-it food.

Herbacious Eggplant Spread

I couldn't resist another Eggplant Spread.  This is a great, simple recipe especially if you're lucky enough to have an herb garden.

The eggplant roast alone is a fantastic recipe.  I'm surprised it's the only one I found that cooks eggplant in such a unique-- and aromatic-- way.  When I took the eggplant out of the oven, it was hard not to eat it as it was.  It was so garlic-y and had this watery, sugary juice that formed under each eggplant slice.  But I was patient.  I put the slices in the processor (including what juices I could get) and finished the recipe.

I didn't have parsley and I wasn't sure if mint was the best option, so I used just basil (and 40% more than it stated).  It's pretty darn great.  As you can see from the picture I ate mine with carrot.  I also sliced some fresh-picked radish when I ran out of carrots.  But one word of warning: "it's very eggplant-y," my boyfriend said.  While I like that about the recipe, for some people it's a little too much. 

Eggplant and Lamb Stew

I broke one of my rules-- I went shopping specifically for the ingredients of this Eggplant and Lamb Stew recipe.  I had practically nothing in my fridge (not even eggplant- gasp!) so everything was purchased specifically for this recipe.  I just couldn't resist.

I thought it would be a lot like my Moroccan Chicken with Eggplant Stew blog entry but it's actually quite different.  It's a little saucier, a little sweeter.  Both are definitely worth trying and have different elements fighting for attention.  In this dish it's the tomato paste, loose eggplant seeds and lamb that really make it special.  While the Moroccan recipe has more dried herbs to add flavor, this one uses allspice really well.  Even my boyfriend, who dislikes allspice in desserts, loved this soup.  And I was very happy to find a recipe that could put to use all the allspice in my cupboard.

My suggestions: like other readers on the allrecipes site, I thought the vegetables were put in too early.  I love having bell peppers and onion in soup, but they were cooked so long they couldn't hold their form.  Yet, I like how cooked the eggplant and tomato got, to achieve the consistency, texture and sweetness of the soup.  Next time I will brown the lamb for twice the time as necessary, toss in the garlic, eggplant, tomato and tomato paste, cook for 30-35 minutes, toss in the rest of the veggies, and cook additional 30-35 minutes.  I didn't think it was necessary to cook it for as long as the recipe stated.

Delicious.  Very comforting.