Bear With Me

Something is happening in Seattle.

The muted beiges of winter are finally giving way to a whole spectrum of pinks, oranges, reds, and greens. Rhubarb and asparagus have officially arrived and last weekend’s market was filled with spindly farm stand carrots, colorful radishes, and loads of summery herbs.

Unfortunately, here in Seattle, spring can be a slow and fickle lady- she’s warm one day, then cold and showery the next. With high temperatures barely reaching the 60’s, she’s pretty noncommittal, you know, relationship-wise. She gives you just enough sun and produce to get you excited about summer’s long warm days, cold beers, and windows wide open, without actually allowing you to indulge in any of it.

Take last weekend for example. The sun was shining and Jimmy and I broke out the bikes for our first long ride of the season. This was it, I thought, spring is here! Later, that very same night, I found myself brewing a cup of hot tea and pulling on my grey wool socks. See what I mean about fickle? When we first moved here it was hard to accept, but I’m starting to get it now- in Seattle, summer never really arrives until July 5th- just far enough away to leave me longing for warm sunny days, but not so far off to curb my enthusiasm. So yesterday, I made this list:

THINGS I WANT TO DO THIS SUMMER:

1. Go on long car rides and sing loudly to Van Morrison

2. Take a ferry to Lummi Island and eat at The Willows Inn
3. Swim, hike, and picnic-preferably all in the same day

4. Drink wine on our front stoop

5. Sleep in a tent

6. Convince Jimmy to sleep in a tent

7. Take weekend trips to Portland, Vancouver, and Whistler

8. Have a beachside bonfire

9. Drink summery cocktails

10. Pick blackberries, and blueberries, and strawberries

11. Wear cute sundresses and short sleeves and sandals

12. Freeze produce

13. Learn to make jam

14. Take long bike rides

15. Make popsicles

16. Drink $3 Sunday Bloody Marys on the patio at Kings

17. Eat loads of tomatoes

18. Wear sunscreen- the kind that smells like coconut, and vacation, and hammocks on the beach

19. Watch sunsets at the sculpture park
20. Visit new farmer’s markets

It’s an incomplete list but every time I look at it, I can’t help but feel that summer is on the way. Until then there will be radishes, and rhubarb, and asparagus- preferably skillet asparagus with plenty of butter.

Skillet Asparagus

Adapted from Edna Lewis via Saveur

In all honesty, I feel a little silly to be sitting here telling you about this. I mean its asparagus…in a skillet. It’s nobody’s breaking news and it’s a dish that hardly deserves a recipe, much less a whole post, but bear with me. We had it for lunch yesterday, and it was so fast and so fresh and so delicious that I decided 1) Edna Lewis was a complete genius and 2) you really needed to know about it.

The bare-bones concept goes like this: heat some butter in a skillet until it gets hot and frothy, then toss in the asparagus and knock it around for a few minutes. Warmed in butter, the asparagus relaxes, releasing its inherently sweet woodsy flavor. Once the asparagus is bright green and cooked just to tender, throw it on a plate, season it with salt and pepper and shaved parmesan, if you’re feeling fancy, and Ta Daaa! Lunch is served. All told, it shares the plate beautifully with a poached egg and a hunk of crusty bread, oh, and a gin and tonic is nice too.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh asparagus, rinsed and tough ends trimmed

1 tablespoon of butter

Salt/Pepper to taste

Shaved Parmesan (optional)

I like to soak my asparagus in clean water for a couple of hours prior to cooking it. This helps to release some of the dirt that can get caught in the thick woody stalks.

Heat butter in a heavy skillet with a tight fitting lid until it is hot and beginning to foam. Place asparagus in pan and gently shake to coat in butter. Cover tightly and cook over medium heat for about three minutes, checking occasionally and turning as needed to prevent stalks from burning. Continue cooking for an additional five minutes, or until the asparagus is tender but still bright green. Season to taste with salt and peper and/or shaved parmesan if desired. Serve hot.