Hark! What is that glimpse of green that is once again appearing in the produce aisle? It is asparagus, those elegantly slender and vibrant stalks, one of the first vegetal signs that spring is on its way.
“But, lo!” you are probably saying. “What’s with the pee thing?”
It has been noted by many trustworthy sources that asparagus has some unusual after-effects. In 1702, the author of Treatise of All Sorts of Food noticed that the stalks “cause a filthy and disagreeable smell in the urine.” Most who have experienced this phenomenon seem to agree with him about the off-putting nature of the smell, though Proust (always hell-bent on being an outlier) said that asparagus “transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume.”
I would like nothing more, dear readers, than to offer my own opinion on this matter, but I just don’t smell it. (And before you offer, no, I do not want to smell your pee.) I always assumed that there was some difference in the way people processed this vegetable resulting in my unremarkable urine, but a groundbreaking study in 2010 opened up the possibility that I (along with about 78% of the population) might just lack the olfactory receptors necessary to detect the asparagus odor. (So even if I did consent to smell your pee, I might not be able to tell the difference.)
Regardless, I think this is a small price to pay for some delicious asparagus. To me, it tastes like a plate full of spring. Here’s an easy recipe to kick off your asparagus season:
Asparagus Salad with Mustard Dressing
- 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bunch of asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Salt and pepper
- Salad greens of your choice
- Red onion, thinly sliced
- Tomato
- Capers
Dressing:
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté garlic in olive oil until tender. Add asparagus to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until just tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Combine all ingredients for the dressing and mix well to combine. Prepare a bed of greens, onion and tomato. Put cooked asparagus on the greens and top with dressing and capers.
This makes an excellent meal for two when you add some Lemon-Dill Baked Tofu or you can divide it into smaller side salads.