Asparagus Means Spring

Wonderful spring! The two big signs of spring in the produce section now are lots of nice spring onions and fresh asparagus. Here's a good asparagus recipe. It has pecans in it. You can't get much better than that.

Glazed Asparagus & Carrots with Pecans

1 cup water
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
3 large (2 cups) carrots, sliced diagonally 1/4-inch
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

Place 1 cup water in 10-inch skillet. Bring to a full boil over medium heat; add asparagus and carrots. Cover; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until asparagus and carrots are crisply tender (7 to 9 minutes). Drain. Remove from skillet; keep warm.
Melt butter in same skillet. Stir together 3 tablespoons water, lemon juice and cornstarch in small bowl; stir into butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens (2 to 3 minutes). Stir in lemon peel.

To serve, spoon sauce over warm asparagus and carrots. Sprinkle with pecans.

My favorite green onion dish is to simply sauté sliced radishes and spring onions in butter. Salt lightly and serve.

Here's a more complicated green onion recipe that was originally from Bon Appetit magazine. I've changed it a bit because the original recipe was too optimistic about how long it takes to cook wheat berries. It takes over an hour to cook and one needs to soak them overnight first. They are worth the trouble though, very tasty and chewy. I love wheat berries. Bob's Red Mill is a brand you should be able to find in the natural foods section of your supermarket.

Wheat Berry Salad with Red and Green Onions

1 cup wheat berries
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 green onions, minced
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add wheat berries, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, stirring occasionally, about an hour and a half. Drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add red onion; sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 4 tablespoons oil, then vinegar; whisk to blend.
Toss wheat berries, green onions, carrot and bell pepper in large bowl. Pour dressing over; toss to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool completely.