050: Preparing Asparagus — hunting, buying, and cooking

03/17/17 • 21 min

In this podcast, you’ll learn all about Paul’s hunt for wild asparagus, some tips on how to cook asparagus, and what to look for when buying it in the store.

Topics we cover:

• How much wild asparagus Paul as been picking

Wild Asparagus. Much thinner than the cultivated kind.

• Why Paul goes picking on Thursdays

• Two ways to cook the asparagus

If you steam them or use a “wet cooking method,” they will taste more “green” and grassy

While if you roast them or use a “dry cooking method,” they will take more “meaty”

• How you can cook them/steam them very easily in the microwave using the below method:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/steamed-asparagus-recipe

• When Paul worked on microwaves for GE, the best uses for microwaves

• Paul recipe a pasta cooking the wild asparagus with some mussels, garlic, onions, parsley, and tomatoes

• How you pick the wild asparagus, pinching them off a picking them from the fields

• How asparagus goes well with shrimp

• A bit about our KTM chili flakes which contains the Carolina Reaper

• The tomatoes we use for cooking in the winter, a slightly dried hanging tomato

Here are the tomatoes we talk about in the podcast.

• The most amazing bowl of Pasta had in Naples features just tomatoes and basil

• The waiter claimed it was so good because the tomatoes were grown in the volcanic soil

• The way some of the older women make fresh tomato sauce

• Some tips on buying asparagus

Look for bright green or violet-tinged spears with firm —not limp — stems.

The tips should be closed and compact.

Avoid limp asparagus. Take out a stem from the bunch and see if it is limp.

• How to store your asparagus when you bring it home — namely placing them in just a bit of water as if they are fresh cut flowers

• But why you should eat it very quickly

• How Paul likes the asparagus with our new Red Wine Vinegar

• The smell associated with asparagus — how some people have it, some can’t detect it, and how they don’t know why it happens

• How food transcends all

• How the last podcast hit a nerve with some people (LINK)

Bonus asparagus info:

Another wild asparagus picture. Notice the "thorny bush" it comes from.

• Asparagus is made up of 93% water.

• It is low in calories and is very low in sodium.

• It’s a good source of vitamins and fiber.

• The white version of asparagus enjoyed in the Netherlands, Spain, France, Poland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Italy, and Switzerland. The asparagus is covered in soil as they grow to “blanch” them. Since no photosynthesis starts, the shoots remain white. It is believed to be less bitter and much more tender. But honestly, I’m not so sure on that. I personally like a bright, green asparagus.

• Hollandaise sauce is a popular sauce to serve with asparagus. Hollandaise is an emulsion of egg yolk and liquid butter with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

• Asparagus originated in maritime habitats, so it likes soils that are too saline for normal weeds to grow. Thus, a little salt was traditionally used to suppress weeds in beds intended for asparagus. The downside to this is of course that bed couldn’t be used to grow anything else.

In this podcast, you’ll learn all about Paul’s hunt for wild asparagus, some tips on how to cook asparagus, and what to look for when buying it in the store.

Topics we cover:

• How much wild asparagus Paul as been picking

Wild Asparagus. Much thinner than the cultivated kind.

• Why Paul goes picking on Thursdays

• Two ways to cook the asparagus

If you steam them or use a “wet cooking method,” they will taste more “green” and grassy

While if you roast them or use a “dry cooking method,” they will take more “meaty”

• How you can cook them/steam them very easily in the microwave using the below method:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/steamed-asparagus-recipe

• When Paul worked on microwaves for GE, the best uses for microwaves

• Paul recipe a pasta cooking the wild asparagus with some mussels, garlic, onions, parsley, and tomatoes

• How you pick the wild asparagus, pinching them off a picking them from the fields

• How asparagus goes well with shrimp

• A bit about our KTM chili flakes which contains the Carolina Reaper

• The tomatoes we use for cooking in the winter, a slightly dried hanging tomato

Here are the tomatoes we talk about in the podcast.

• The most amazing bowl of Pasta had in Naples features just tomatoes and basil

• The waiter claimed it was so good because the tomatoes were grown in the volcanic soil

• The way some of the older women make fresh tomato sauce

• Some tips on buying asparagus

Look for bright green or violet-tinged spears with firm —not limp — stems.

The tips should be closed and compact.

Avoid limp asparagus. Take out a stem from the bunch and see if it is limp.

• How to store your asparagus when you bring it home — namely placing them in just a bit of water as if they are fresh cut flowers

• But why you should eat it very quickly

• How Paul likes the asparagus with our new Red Wine Vinegar

• The smell associated with asparagus — how some people have it, some can’t detect it, and how they don’t know why it happens

• How food transcends all

• How the last podcast hit a nerve with some people (LINK)

Bonus asparagus info:

Another wild asparagus picture. Notice the "thorny bush" it comes from.

• Asparagus is made up of 93% water.

• It is low in calories and is very low in sodium.

• It’s a good source of vitamins and fiber.

• Hollandaise sauce is a popular sauce to serve with asparagus. Hollandaise is an emulsion of egg yolk and liquid butter with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Previous Episode

049: 15 Strange Things Italians Do

To start with, this should probably have a major subhead: "15 Strange Things Italians Do that are strange to Americans." Because I'm sure they are not strange to any Italian or even other parts of the world. But to two Americans, these are a few of the weird things we've noticed Italians do.

Know any others? Let us know in the comments. And don't forget to share this with family and friends who might get a kick out of it.

1. They don't wear seatbelts or use baby seats

Not sure if this is a macho thing? Or they believe it's safer because you can, I don't know, throw yourself from the car? Whatever the reason, they almost refuse to do it.

To keep the car from beeping at them, they will either buckle the seatbelt behind them in the car. Or, they will actually carry around an extra buckle, just a buckle with maybe a little strap on it, so they can put that in the latch to stop the car from beeping.

It is against the law and you will get a ticket if you are stopped, so don't try this when visiting.

Is this only a southern thing? Small town thing? Let us know in the comments.

When it comes to the kids, the children will actually sit in mom or dad's lap while they are driving. Sometimes while the parent is also on the phone driving a stick shift.

We have no rationale for this one. It's just crazy.

2. They throw litter out of the window of their car

This is definitely more a southern thing I think than northern. But littering here is just not looked at as a terrible thing like it is in the states.

I have watched someone literally clean out their car while driving down the road. Reaching down to throw out a plastic bottle, then some papers, etc. When was the last time you EVER saw that in the states?

3. They peel their fruit and vegetables

You will never see an Italian bite into an apple or pear unpeeled, even if it is washed. That sucker has to be peeled before it passes those lips!

The new rule in Italy is that when purchasing fruit in a market, the display has to say if the peel is edible. If it is organic, the peel is edible. I bet they still peel the organic.

4. Italians will not "drive" in the passing lane

This is strange to us but it is CORRECT. The passing lane should only be for passing. And while Italians do drive fast and like maniacs, they do strictly adhere to this rule.

So if you are driving in Italy, don't stick around in the left lane. Pass someone and get back into the right-hand lane. Otherwise, you'll have a lot of Italian drivers honking and flashing their lights at you.

5. They never go outside with wet hair

It goes back to colpo d'aria, the thought that a hit of cold air will cause sudden death. OK. Not sudden death, but pretty much every other malady out there. It's also why they won't drive with a window down, hate fans blowing directly on them, and wear scarves in the summer (see #10 below).

6. When entering a room in someone else's home or a store, they have to say "hello"

You might have already greeted them at the gate. Or the room they are entering could be empty with the lights off. And there doesn't have to another person even around. But when they enter the room, they will say, "Buon Giorno" or "

Or the room they are entering could be empty, with the lights of and not another person even around.

But when they enter the room, they will say, "Buon Giorno" or "Permisso."

Polite? I don't know. To an American, it's just weird.

7. They never eat eggs for breakfast

Today, most Americans probably have more in common with Italians in this regard. Today, American's will grab a bowl of cereal or a cereal bar before running out the door and aren't usually cooking up a batch of eggs.

However, you will never see an Italian scrambling up some eggs and bacon for breakfast, even on the weekend. Italians are pretty consistent in their concept of breakfast, which usually consists of a coffee and a pastry. That's it.

Italians are pretty consistent in their concept of breakfast, which usually consists of a coffee and a pastry. That's it.

Next Episode

051: The Olives and the Grapes, an interview with Kenny White

Kenny White — the pianist, singer/songwriter, producer and arranger — has been in the NYC recording scene for decades. And lucky for us, he recently blessed us with a concert at Villa Cappelli. So we took the time to sit down and get his thoughts on the current music scene, his creative process, and even play a few songs.

Topics we cover:

• How Paul and Kenny met in the advertising business • The Coke commercial that Paul and Kenny worked on:

• How Paul wanted a 60 piece orchestra for the spot and Kenny then had to write a piece for 60 pieces which he had never done before • How Kenny had to stay up to write the song and miss his wife’s birthday • A film had never been filmed at Rockefeller Center before • Getting through the bureaucracy is by schmoozing people • How people are buying vinyl again • Kenny is doing a tour of his latest album Long List of Priors • The countries he's toured, including Belgium, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, England and Italy • The title comes from the song “A Road Less Traveled” • The song, “The Other Shore” • Kenny’s song he wrote when leaving Italy, “The Olive and The Grapes” Lyrics below:

The sun made good time today, broke the long night’s tension It skied along the cloud tops, ’til it lit the starboard engine Doesn’t matter how the coin lands, heads or tails, With paradise dissolving into the vapor trails

Up here, you’d think we’d be much closer to the spot where heaven waits No that’s down there, somewhere among the olives and the grapes

Lost under fedoras, dead smokes and worn out skin The men stand at the bar and nod to every person hat walks in Already on their 4th cup, the fraternity is clear As they laugh at the same jokes they’ve told for 40 years

I’m leaving with a missing part, the story’s incomplete So I’ll make up an ending with fewer bruises and scrapes, ‘The boy who traded in the blacktop for the olives and the grapes”

War has knocked on doors here, spilled its venom in the streets And history’s been laid low between enemy drumbeats A young girl sits by the water, like so many have before her Imagining a life that reaches way beyond her border

I know that she has planned at least a hundred great escapes But she belongs right there among them Belongs right there among them She belongs right there among the olives and the grapes.

Kenny White - vocal, piano, Antoine Silverman - string arrangement, Gary Schreiner - accordion, Marty Ballou - bass, Antoine Silverman - violin, Entcho Todorov - violin, Jonathan Dinklage - viola, Anja Wood - cello

• Which comes first for Kenny, the lyrics or the music when writing music • Kenny’s songwriting theory • How most music today is about nothing, has no real story • Paul believes because music is not political today, it might be holding back political movements and causes • The political songs that Kenny has written • Why songs aren’t political today • The movie “The Last Waltz” • The picture of the Pope’s visit to NYC where no one is “in the moment” • Kenny’s experience with Woodstock • Paul’s experience at the Watkins Glen Concert • Kenny’s home in Brooklyn, New York • Kenny’s experience growing up with a lot of Italian-Americans • Kenny having to find someone to guard the stage during the homecoming dance • Paul’s experience with music and Coke commercials • To buy Kenny’s stuff:

KennyWhite.net iTunes Amazon

• Kenny’s song with David Crosby and Peter Wolf • Paul’s experience with Joe Cocker

Did you like our interview with Kenny White? Any questions for him? Let us know in the comments.