Fresh Asparagus (photo by Jason Webber, courtesy of morguefile.com)

Red azaleas, brilliant pink cherry blossoms, white dogwoods, bright yellow forsythia, Nature’s putting on her annual spring spectacle across the nation. The season is a glorious feast for the eyes, but for foodies it’s also peak season for getting a taste of fresh asparagus!

Lightly steamed, grilled or boiled, fresh asparagus is always a tasty, nutritious side dish, but getting it at its freshest is critical. Asparagus has a high natural sugar content. Once it is harvested the sugar immediately begins turning to starch and the spears lose their sweet flavor. If you don’t have the time or the gardening skills to grow your own, your best bet is to get it fresh from a farmer you trust.

Below is a recipe with a splendid mix of ingredients. It's sure to be a hit with ardent asparagus lovers. It has the added benefit of being fairly easy to prepare. When it is done well an asparagus dish fit for a gourmet feast will be the result. After our friends at the Stella Cadente Olive Oil Company in Mendocino modified a recipe from the book, "From Earth to Table" by John Ash, we made a couple changes ourselves to come up with this one. Get some crusty, fresh-baked bread to have with it.

Ingredients

• 1 Pound slender asparagus, diagonally cut into 3 inch pieces
• ½ Pound fusilli or other shaped dry pasta
• ½ Cup Stella Cadente Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
• ½ Cup Stella Cadente L'Autunno Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoon slivered garlic
• ½ Cup dry white wine (a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 Large roasted red bell pepper and cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 Large roasted yellow bell pepper and cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 Cup seeded & slivered plum tomatoes
• ¼ Cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• 2 Teaspoons chopped fresh mint O Olive Ginger Rice Wine Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ Pound smoked mozzarella cheese, sliced into thin rounds
• ¼ Pound paper-thin slices of proscuitto or hot coppa salami
• Garnish: Fresh basil sprigs

Directions:

1. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, blanch the asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a skimmer, remove asparagus from pot and immediately run cold water over it to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
2. Return the asparagus water to boil. Add the pasta to the pot and cook until just al dente. Drain the pasta and immediately run cold water over it to stop the cooking. Drain, transfer to a large bowl, and toss with 2 tablespoons of Stella Cadente L'Autunno Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
3. In a small saute pan, heat the remaining L'Autunno Extra Virgin Olive and saute the garlic over low heat until soft, but not brown. Add the wine and increase the heat to moderate. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until most of the wine has evaporated.
4. Combine the pasta with the asparagus, roasted peppers, tomatoes, basil, and mint. Add the garlic and wine mixture. Toss to combine. Add enough of the O Olive Ginger Rice Vinaigrette to coat the ingredients thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve the pasta surrounded by the mozzarella and prosciutto. Garnish with the basil sprigs.

Sweet Rice Wine Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• ¼ Cup O Olive Ginger Rice Vinegar
• ½ Teaspoon sea salt
• 1 Teaspoon B.R. Cohn Stone Ground Mustard
• 2 Teaspoon light-brown sugar
• 1 Teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ Cup Stella Cadente Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, whisk all the ingredients together.

For a fine wine pairing, the smoky mozzarella beautifully plays off a fruity California Chardonnay.

To order Stella Cadente’s world class, hand-crafted olive oil from beautiful Mendocino, California go to: L'Autunno Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil

To purchase the award-winning lemon oil called for in this recipe go to: Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

If you'd like to order the artisanal rice vinegar called for in this recipe go to: Ginger Rice Vinegar

You also want to try this one using a truly great gourmet mustard from B.R. Cohn: Stone Ground Mustard