Setting aside the story of Babe Ruth, the society matron and the silver platter of asparagus for a moment, let’s talk about this odorous member of the lily family.
When I was a kid, my mother enjoyed canned asparagus. It was mushy and putrid — one of the few foods we kids got to pass on — but kind of cool that the can was an inch taller than those of all the other vegetables on the shelf.
As an adult, I was introduced to fresh asparagus, both steamed and sautéed. Like most people, I most savor the bushy spears — the blossom bulbs — for their tender taste and strange texture, a sort of vegetable crochet.
When preparing fresh asparagus, I cut as close to the tops as possible, avoiding the part of the stalk where the rich green color begins to fade.
A recent meal, light and easy, began with a small skillet of asparagus spears sautéed in olive oil and thinly sliced garlic. Once tender, I emptied the asparagus, oil and browned garlic straight from the pan into a bowl of small pasta shells cooked and left to cool before I began frying the asperge.
With a dash of salt and cracked pepper, it was fab.
But what to do with the fat handful of leftover stalks? It didn’t seem right to throw them away, at least not where I come from. So I cut off a good inch-and-a-half from the bottoms — setting them aside for my compost bucket — and then cut the stalks in two. These I put in a stewpot about a third full of boiling water, covered and forgot for awhile as I stretched out to read “The Asparagus Festival Cookbook,” by Moore, Hafly, Hushaw, and Zupo.
When the stalks had boiled for an hour or so, I brought the water down to a simmer for another hour. Then I squeezed the limp stalks through a strainer, added the pulp back to the stock and set the whole caboodle to simmering for another hour, adding another cup of water as I went along.
After straining a last time. I put the liquid in a bowl to cool and tossed the stringy fiber.
This vegetable stock — its aroma leaving no doubt what vegetable is in question — was frozen for any number of upcoming soups and stews.
As for that Babe Ruth story about asparagus?
Best to tell you when the kids aren’t around.
