April 24, 2021

WEEKLY MENU 04.25.21

Spring vegetables are finally coming in, and we’re making the best of them during the Weekly Menu 04.25.21.

Spring is showing up during the Weekly Menu 04.25.21 in some of the produce that is finally coming into the grocery store. I often say that fall is my favorite season, but I think the reason I feel that way is mostly the relief that we’re at the end of a hot summer. The building heat of August and September in Erieland is not to be enjoyed so much as endured. But spring. Aah spring. The gradual warm up (with occasional spurts of snow like we had this past week) is one of my favorite things.

It smells really good outside too.

The crocuses (croci?) popped, and now the daffodils and tulips are putting on a show. The fruit trees are in full flower, and the grass is green and growing fast. What does this have to do with the Weekly Menu 04.25.21? Spring veggies like asparagus are back, baby. Sure, they’ve been available during the winter, but they tend towards woody and large instead of tender and small. During spring, asparagus shows up on the menu at least every week. I’ll let you in on a little secret: I make it to go with dinner considerably more than it shows up on the menu.

My mother loved canned asparagus. That was my earliest exposure to it. Her favorite way to eat it? On a white bread sandwich smothered in mayo and cracked pepper. Don’t cringe. It was actually pretty good, in a tea-sandwich sort of way.

My favorite way to prep asparagus is roasted.

I heat up the oven to 425 degrees F, pop the sprouts on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. A sprinkle of salt before they go in makes sure they are delightful when they come out. How long they cook depends entirely on their size; as soon as the tips get a little toasted and the asparagus is a little “floppy” they’re ready to eat.

No spring veggie post is really complete without a discussion of the effects of asparagus on urine. It’s been a topic for years.

[Asparagus] cause a powerful and disagreeable smell in the urine, as everybody knows.— Treatise of All Sorts of Foods, Louis Lemery, 1702^[50]
Asparagus contains asparagusic acid. When the vegetable is digested, a group of volatile sulfur-containing compounds is produced.^[54]
Asparagus has been eaten and cultivated for at least two millennia but the association between odorous urine and asparagus consumption was not observed until the late 17th century when sulfur-rich fertilisers became common in agriculture.^[55] Small-scale studies noted that the “asparagus urine” odour was not produced by all individuals and estimates as to the proportion of the population who are excretors (reporting a noticeable asparagus urine odour after eating asparagus) has ranged from about 40%^[56] to as high as 79%.^[57][58]
Wikipedia

The only way to find out if you’re one of the lucky ones that produces the “odour” is to eat some asparagus. Isn’t that reason enough to give it a try?

Asparagus on the Weekly Menu 04.25.21 — ^{Keeping it real: grilled asparagus often ends up under the grates.}

How beautiful is THAT meal? I just love spring time!

The Weekly Menu 04.25.21 has other awesome veggies too – brussels sprouts, green beans, and peppers for days. We’re having “Pork Chops Italiano” on Wednesday. It’s a simple pasta meal that glorifies the lowly pork chop. We’ll sear the salted chops on both sides in a screaming hot, large-marge cast iron pan. (Affiliate links follow – see Disclaimer page for details.) Then we’ll remove the pork chops to a plate and sauté a big onion and a couple of chopped red bell peppers in the same pan. Mushrooms would be great in this too – but only if your people will eat them. Mine will not.

Once the vegetables brown, we’ll deglaze with a bit of white wine (1/3 to 1/2 a cup). We’ll add enough chicken stock to cover the veggies (about a cup) then work the chops back in, letting them nestle in the juices. Let the pork chops cook while you prep some pasta (we like ziti) in a big pot of boiling water. Once the pasta is al dente (take it out about two minutes before the box directions say) drain it and add it to the pan.

See why I recommend the enormous cast iron skillet?

When you’re ready to ~~devour~~ eat, sprinkle with a little grated parm. That’s a Wednesday dinner. It’s ready in about 30 minutes, and it’s a single bowl meal. Be sure to add in some bread to sop up the broth.

Complete aside: if you do use your cast iron skillet, use this fabulous chain mail, stainless steel cast iron cleaner. I can’t say enough about how well The Ringer works to clean skillets – and sheet pans, and other dirty pots… everyone should have one.