Tuesday's Tip:Tips for Buying and Storing Asparagus

I have to admit, I haven’t always been a fan of asparagus. Only in the past few years have I discovered the wonders of fresh roasted asparagus. So when thinking about spring foods, I immediately thought about this flavorful vegetable. For some reason, it just reminds me of springtime! We have it in our stores year around these days but fresh local asparagus begins shipping about this time of year. Asparagus is sweet, succulent, and tender and is very versatile, lending itself to an assortment of many delightful dishes.

Besides being full of flavor, asparagus is an abundant source of nutrients, making it a “must have” for a healthy and balanced diet. It’s low in calories and sodium and contains no fat. It also supplies more folic acid than virtually any other vegetable and is an excellent source of potassium and vitamin B.

So when you are picking your asparagus on the Produce Aisle (of J&J of course), what should you look for?

Be sure you look for bundles with firm spears whose tips are closed, plump and green; shying away from dry and brown bunches.

How is the best way to store asparagus?

Once you’ve made your pi`1ck, it’s very important to store the asparagus properly to keep it fresh and delicious. Wash it thoroughly, pat it dry and cut the hard end stems off. Then you can do two things, you can wrap a moist paper towel around the stems, put in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. Even better, is to stand them upright in a couple of inches of water in the refrigerator. If stored properly, they will keep for 2 to 3 days.
Ever thought about freezing asparagus?

Undoubtedly, asparagus is the best fresh and in season. But what if you want that fresh flavor all year round?

Wash the asparagus thoroughly and trim the woody ends. They can be left whole or cut into spears for freezing. Blanch them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. To blanch asparagus, drop it whole or cut into a large pot of simmering water and leave for about 1-2 minutes if freezing. If using it as a cooking method, you’ll want to leave for a little longer, 3-4 minutes. Drain the asparagus well and pack in plastic freezer bags or containers, trying not to leave excess air space. It can be frozen up to 8 months. Frozen asparagus doesn’t need to be defrosted before cooking.

It's All about the Roux

I'm not a patient person. It simply isn't one of my gifts. So when I decided to make a roux for a gumbo I was making, instead of reading or studying about it, I called an expert. See I have a friend whose Louisiana roots run deep and I knew she loved to cook, so obviously she was my go-to girl. Within minutes she had asked me all the pertinent questions like: what kind of pan are you using? (iron skillet - got that right); what ingredients are you using? (butter and flour - got that right too); and does your schedule allow for standing at the stove for the next 15 or 20 minutes constantly stirring the said roux? Hmmm...okay. This is a must apparently so it doesn't burn but turns a beautiful brown color. Well, I was already committed to my roux so I wasn't going to abandon it now so yes, I'll take the challenge. And by gum(bo), it worked! So if you love a good gumbo, you must know your roux. Here are a few tips. 

If you are a beginner at roux start out with a half flour, half oil or butter mixture. The more oil you use the less likely it will burn too fast. As you get better at it you can use less oil. Add the oil and flour to the pot and set the fire on medium. Some of the best roux were made in a cast iron pot or cast iron skillet. 

Using a spatula, stir the roux scraping the entire bottom of the pot every time. Using a spatula allows you to move all of the mixture around and you don't have to make more than a few passes to do it. Stir the mixture every 15 seconds or so. The roux will bubble at first then will get smooth as it cooks. 

WARNING: Don't be tempted to walk away and do something else, if the roux burns at any point during the process, it is no good. Once the roux has turned a medium brown lower the fire just a little. Keep stirring as you were before. You will notice with each stirring the roux gets a tiny bit more brown. Actually, it was easier than I thought and that gumbo sure was good. 

By the way, if you're a Southern Living Magazine reader, there’s a great article in the February issue about this very subject.

It's All about the Ham!

Yesterday I posted a tasty ham recipe so I thought we’d talk a little more about some “what and what-nots” about ham. Most of the hams we buy in the grocery store are fully-cooked and cured. Fresh hams, however, are out there but they are not as widely available. Hams come in many shapes and sizes: shank portion; center cut; spiral cut and the butt portion. These cuts are bone-in except of course for the center cut. It’s personal preference but I prefer those with the bone in because the flavor is really just so much better.

Here are the definitions of the butt and shank cuts just so you’ll know the next time you’re standing at the meat counter and wondering:

Butt End: The upper cut of the hog's hind leg. The butt end is meatier but contains more fat than the shank end of the whole ham and is harder to carve because it contains the hip and pelvic bone. If the cut is found labeled " butt half", it has not had the center ham slice removed. If the center slice has been cut from it, the cut will be labeled " butt portion".

Shank End: Lower cut of the hog's hind leg. The shank end contains less fat, is not as meaty as the butt end, but it contains only one leg bone, making it easier to carve. It has a slightly sweeter flavor. If the cut is found labeled " shank half", it has not had the center ham slice removed. If the center slice has been cut from it, the cut will be labeled " shank portion".

Now for a few ham cooking tips:

1. Be careful to not overcook your ham. Because most hams are already fully cooked, baking releases juices that accentuate the flavor while tenderizing the meat.

2. For optimum flavor, bake your ham on a low oven temperature (around 325 degrees) for about 20 minutes per pound.

3. To prevent drying of the meat, create a “sauna” for your ham. Add a little liquid to the bottom of the roasting pan and loosely tent with foil. Using a baking bag is another great way to be sure the meat is not dried out.

4. Don’t use sharp utensils that may pierce the ham because piercing the ham will cause valuable juices to escape.

5. Always let the ham rest for 10 – 15 minutes before carving.

The Green Stuff!

St. Patrick's Day is coming up on Sunday and that started a thought process about green. The color green and I have always had a love-hate relationship. There are so many colors of green that honestly just aren't that pretty. But when you get just the right one well, it can be gorgeous. When we moved into our current home several years ago, I wanted our kitchen to be green. So I looked at the bazillion paint swatches that are out there and finally decided to go with a sagey-sort called Rosemary Sprig by Benjamin Moore. I'm not sure if it was the color or the name that appealed to me most but at any rate, I loved it. I even painted our rear foyer and the laundry room the same color. Okay, so you get the picture, I like this color of green.

Stay with me, I really will get the point of this post in a minute, I promise.

Update to this story: Last year, after seven years of Rosemary Sprig, I painted my kitchen a raspberry color and changed the color of our living room and dining room to green (both had previously been red). Many of you know that I am a closet-wanna-be interior decorator so that means that nothing stays the same in my home for long. But one thing that did not change was the color of the laundry room. Because I believe that if you have to do laundry, you must enjoy your surroundings. And I enjoy the laundry to be surrounded by Rosemary Sprig.

So what is the point of all this? Spinach. You might not have seen that coming. Spinach is the Super Hero of food. But I guess you all know that. In my opinion, we all should have some spinach in our diet every day. In the South, we fry everything. Some things that are currently trending: fried Oreos, fried butter and fried Twinkies. Oh by the way, I heard this morning the good news that Hostess Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Cupcakes will live to see another day. The failed Hostess company has been purchased and these American icons of junk food will rise again. Amen and amen.

So back to spinach. The point is that do you ever see fried spinach even in the South? I really don't think so. Spinach can be incorporated in a lot of recipes and adds fiber and nutrients to the diet with really very little effort. So ... I thought y'all might enjoy some fun nutrition facts about and uses for spinach. Popeye was smarter than we thought!

* Spinach nutrition is amazing. The calcium content in spinach and other dark, leafy vegetables strengthens bones.

* The A and C vitamins in spinach plus the fiber, folic acid, magnesium and other nutrients help control cancer, especially colon, lung and breast cancers. Folate also lowers the blood levels of something called homocysteine, a protein that damages arteries. So spinach also helps protect against heart disease.

* The flavonoids in spinach help protect against age related memory loss

* Spinach's secret weapon, lutein, makes it one of the best foods in the world to prevent cataracts, as well as age related macular degeneration, the leading cause of preventable blindness in the elderly. Foods rich in lutein are also thought to help prevent cancer.

Fresh or frozen, add these greens to your food menu as often as you can. Here are some ideas to incorporate these into your diet:
1. Add chopped fresh or frozen spinach to lasagna to up the nutrient content.
2. Add chopped or frozen spinach to your favorite vegetable soup recipe.
3. Sauté spinach with a bit of garlic and olive oil for a tasty super food combination. Try it on top of a baked potato.
4. Make quick and easy spinach dips to eat with crunchy raw vegetables and whole grain breads.
5. Use fresh spinach instead of lettuce to add a twist to your favorite sandwiches.
6. Add chopped fresh or frozen spinach to omelets and frittatas. Make sure frozen spinach is thawed and well drained.
7. Always, add a little fresh spinach to your salad.