What’s in Season? Asparagus, Artichokes, and Horseradish!
By Barbara Kobsar | Illustrations by Charmaine Koehler-Lodge
CHARCUTERIE BOARD CREATION HAS PRACTICALLY BECOME AN OLYMPIC SPORT with endless options for cheeses, meats, nuts, jams, pickles, crackers, hummus, and tapenade. But boards can really stand out when they highlight seasonal produce, and spring offers some exceptional possibilities.
ASPARAGUS is the quintessential spring vegetable. As the ground warms and sunshine becomes more plentiful, the dormant asparagus crowns shoot up their spears. Traditionally, each will be hand cut when it reaches nine to ten inches tall, and while a farmer once told me that there is a mechanical harvester for almost everything, including asparagus, the machine is generally cost prohibitive for small farm operations.
California produces 60 to 70 percent of the nation’s asparagus, and since a lot of it comes from the San Joaquin Delta, those bundles of spears are sometimes called “delta grass.” At the annual Asparagus Festival in the delta city of Stockton (this year on April 11–13), you can find asparagus ice cream, asparagus chile cheese fries, asparagus slaw, asparagus chicken bowls, and asparagus pizza, but nothing beats simple steamed asparagus.
When you purchase asparagus, choose plump, crisp, and mostly green stalks and remember that the fatter (younger) ones are always the best. That white part at the base of the spear is easily broken off or peeled of its woody exterior. Blanch the spears for no more than 1 minute, immerse in ice water, then drain and refrigerate to use as needed.
ARTICHOKE buds, cut in half and steamed, look splendid on spring charcuterie boards, and spring is this plant’s peak harvest season.
California produces virtually the entire artichoke supply for the nation, much of it from within the Monterey Bay Area. The 3- to 4-foot-high silver-green fountain-shaped artichoke plants form large terminal buds atop their long central stems, medium buds alongside shoots, and dwarf or baby artichokes at the leaf-to-stem juncture. Another labor-intensive crop, artichokes are cut and packed into cartons by hand. Medium to large artichokes develop a fuzzy “choke” that is discarded after cooking. Baby or dwarf artichokes only need the stems and a few outer leaves trimmed off before cooking.
Want to give your board some handcrafted bite? Add a HORSERADISH dip. A spicy root vegetable in the mustard family, horseradish is often available at local farmers’ markets. Prepare the root as in the recipe on the opposite page. Other uses? Add grated horseradish root to ketchup for a simple shrimp cocktail sauce, or kick up your next Bloody Mary with a teaspoon of fresh grated horseradish. If the root includes any small green horseradish leaves, they can be a spicy surprise when used sparingly in salads. ♦
Horseradish Dip
Makes about ¾ cup
- 1 (8–10-inch-long) horseradish root
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill (optional)
ALERT: Horseradish fumes are pungent and can irritate the eyes, so you might want to keep your face at a distance or wear goggles as you prepare this recipe.
Peel the horseradish root with a vegetable peeler. Then grate or chop into small pieces and place in a food processor with water. Process until well ground. If the mixture has too much liquid, strain out some of the water, return to blender. Add the vinegar and salt, and pulse. Empty into a bowl and mix with the mayo, sour cream (or yogurt), and dill. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Veteran journalist and cookbook author Barbara Kobsar focuses on traditional home-cooked meals using local produce. Find her at the Walnut Creek and San Ramon farmers’ markets selling her Cottage Kitchen jams and jellies.
Artist Charmaine Koehler-Lodge grows most of her family’s food in their large home garden.
