EAT

One of the signs that spring really has arrived is the appearance of mounds of vibrant green spears of asparagus at your local grocers. It has become one of my favorite rituals of the season, heralding a new and bounti­ful year of fresh garden produce, as the heavier winter roots give way to fresh leafy vegetables.

Asparagus is pretty cool stuff, and it has been around for a really long time. The earliest known reference dates back to 3000 BC, where it is depicted on an Egyptian frieze as an offering to the Pharaoh of the day.

The Romans practiced the art of early food storage by freezing it high in the mountains to preserve large quantities of asparagus for the Feast of Epicurus. Savoring asparagus even has a place of distinction in the oldest cookbook known - Apicius's De re coquinaria, from the third-century AD. Not bad pedigree for a simple vegetable!

Not only has asparagus been with us for a very long time as a culinary delight, but it is incredibly healthy for you too. Rich in fiber, folate, potassium and vitamins A, C, E and K, it also can boast an extremely efficient tool chest of antioxi­dants rivaling that of blueberries. It accomplishes this through delivery of the compound glutathione which breaks down carcinogens and free radicals.

There are three varieties of asparagus: purple, white and, the most common, green. They are all the same plant and all have the same benefits. The difference comes from the growing method. The purple and green varieties are basically identical, where the color variation is primarily the result of climate and soil conditions. The white asparagus is sweeter and tenderer than its siblings.

If you've seen white asparagus you've probably noticed that it is a bit more expensive than the green bundles. This is the result of a more cost-intensive cultivation method. When the stalks first start to appear, they are covered with mulch and a sheet of black plastic or other light-impermeable cloth and continuously are treated this way until harvest. Because these stalks do not get any light, the chlorophyll that nor­mally develops, and allows for photosynthesis under standard growing techniques, never develops. They are the frankenal­binos of the vegetable world. But the pure tenderness of the stalk makes the effort totally worthwhile.

So what do you do with these awesome stalks? The first step after cutting off the base is to take a vegetable peeler to the stems - starting about two inches below the heads - and remove the tougher outer layer. You don't need to take too much off, so don't overdo it. Then you can steam, bake, poach, broil or grill the little buggers to your hearts' content.

My all-time favorite method of preparing asparagus is to lightly steam two dozen prepared stalks for 20 minutes and then serve tossed with a generous handful of lightly roasted pine nuts, a dash of fresh lemon zest, olive oil and pinch of coarse salt. My second favorite method is a simple grilling - prepare your stalks, toss them in good extra-virgin olive oil and coarse salt and grill on medium high, turning frequently until there is some nice caramelization all around.

If you're going to search for those elusive white stalks, the classic dish that is served throughout most of Europe during the season is a light poach in a medium salty bath for just ten minutes. Then serve with a fresh, lemony hollandaise sauce with a tiny sprinkling of fresh chopped curly parsley. Simple, delicious and healthy!

It really doesn't matter how you serve asparagus - whether it's as a side dish, a main course or a creamy soup (hint - creamy asparagus soup marries perfectly with crunchy bacon "croutons"). It is always delicious and good for you and now that spring has sprung after our very mild winter, it's time to get healthy with one of mankind's oldest vegetable treasures. Sante!