The Garden Apartment

Things to enjoy now {and a recipe for roasted asparagus with red pepper puree and microgreens}

Sigh.  

 

Spring is really truly here. 

Juicy and sweet strawberries. . . 

 

. . . tender sprigs of fresh asparagus

   

All are popping up at many DC area farmers markets. 

It's enough to make me a very satisfied woman.

But as a special icing on the cake (or rather, greens on the top), you will also be able to find micro greens at the Old Town Alexandria Farmers Market this weekend. 

Micro greens are tiny and intensely flavorful greens: the smallest sprouts of a variety of salad greens, herbs, and vegetables. The beautiful leaves are typically found in high end restaurants, and can be difficult for home cooks to obtain.

Bigg Riggs Farm is selling a variety of gorgeous and tasty micro greens, including arugula, fennel, beet, and radish. The greens arrive at market alive. They burst out of their trays in colors of green, purple, and red. When purchasing them, you simply pick which one (or ones) you'd like. Your choice is clipped freshly for you and put into a small container. 

It doesn't get any fresher than that.

They sell for $4 an ounce, which is a bit pricey, but a full container doesn't weigh very much, and a small amount of microgreens packs a big punch.

After a weekend shopping at the Old Town Alexandria Farmers Market and the West End Alexandria Farmers market, I had all the ingredients for a tasty treat: a lovely dish made from a simple preparation of roasted asparagus and a roasted red pepper puree-- all topped off with a microgreen salad.  

For the record, this method of preparing asparagus is stand-alone. Roasting the asparagus draws out a certain level of sweetness. Furthermore, actually roasting it with the lemon wedges imparts the perfect amount of lemon flavor to the tender sprigs. If you just want a simple side, you can follow the roasting instructions here. Or, really make your asparagus dish extra special with the pepper puree and microgreen salad. 

Roasted Asparagus with Red Pepper Puree and Microgreen Salad

Serves 2 as a first course, 4 as a side

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

For the roasted asparagus

1 large bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (about 2-3 TB)

salt and pepper, to taste

For the red pepper puree

1/2 Cup Roasted Red Peppers (freshly roasted or jarred will both work well)

1 small clove of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

For the micro green salad

1/2 Cup of assorted micro greens

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper

Preparation:

Roasting the asparagus

Preheat the oven to 400F. 

In the meantime, trim the asparagus spears and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil, a little bit of fresh lemon juice (from the lemon wedges) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place the lemon wedges on the baking sheet with the asparagus spears. 

Roast the asparagus for 8-10 minutes, until it is bright green and beginning to brown just a little bit. Toss the asparagus 1-2 times during roasting.

Making the red pepper puree

While the asparagus is roasting, combine the red peppers, garlic, thyme leaves, lemon juice, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade (I used a mini prep). Puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary.

Putting it all together

Spoon 2-3 TB red pepper puree in the center of each plate. Divide the asparagus evenly on each plate, placing it on top of the pepper puree. Place a small amount of the microgreens on the top of the asparagus, then drizzle with a touch of olive oil, a small amount of lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Enjoy immediately.  

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One year ago at The Garden Apartment:

Old Town Di(sh)patch: Grilled Steak with Arugula Pesto and Roasted Potatoes with Ramp Mustard and Spring Onions

{Un}plug your nose: a ramp confession

Sometimes this locavore lifestyle leads me to be a little too enthusiastic about certain types of produce.

A few weeks back, I started an entire series on ramps. 

You know, these guys:

I told you all about what they were (if you weren't already in the know) and waxed poetic about all the recipes I planned to make with them.

Well, I must confess to you, dear readers. I've been a rather naughty blogger. I've made dozens of things with ramps over the last few weeks, and I've only shared one with you.

And after weeks of smelling ramps and cooking with ramps, I've come to a rather surprising conclusion. You see, I've decided that I don't really like ramps.

That's right: you can throw me right off the locavore bus and call me a traitor.

On the other hand, I have seen a few recipes out there on other blogs which do sound like good uses for ramps. As an end to my rather short-lived series, I'd like to share these with you. 

Braised Chicken Thighs with Ramps and Morels in a White Wine Cream Sauce

from the Houndstooth Gourmet

Amy at Eggs on Sunday has a genuine enthusiasm for ramps she foraged on her own, and made this tasty sounding recipe: Ramp, Bacon, and Ricotta Tart

Finally, the guys over at The Bitten Word tried a recipe from Bon Apetit for Scrambled Eggs with Ramps and Asparagus.

If you still want to try ramps, do it soon. It sounds like they'll be available at DuPont Circle Farmer's Market this week, but it will probably be the last one.

As for myself, I'll be moving on to sharing other things with you: like recipes using the great asparagus and local strawberries which are popping up at all our local farmers markets.

Happy Birthday to the Garden Apartment {a year in review}

I am like the bad friend who forgets their best friend's birthday, and then sheepishly sends a belated birthday card in the mail. 

Yes, that's right. Today is not the Garden Apartment's birthday. It was actually earlier last month. I hope you won't mind my belated wishes, considering that they are actually to myself. 

And in honor of myself, I bring you a year in review. I have selected one highlight (ah the difficulty of choosing just one!) from each month of The Garden Apartment's first year. In other words, I am mailing it in-- in the same fashion of a TV sitcom flashback show.

April 2008

The Garden Apartment sets off with a major setback: cardoons. 

Ignoring rainstorms and dreary weather, I trudge off to the DuPont Circle Farmers Market determined to get a good local dinner. 

The shopping experience was wet and cold, and my purchase of cardoons were a lot of work (to say the least). The only redeeming part is the blog post, which makes me laugh out loud. 

May 2008

I venture beyond local foods to explore Virginia wines at the Mount Vernon Wine Festival. Dragging my husband along for wine tasting proves to be humorous, though perhaps not my most informative blog post ever. 

Read about it here.

June 2008

I perfect a recipe for cherry clafoutis. Need I say more? Read about it here. 

July 2008

My friend Catherine and I pay a visit to Bigg Riggs Farm in West Virginia for a fun lesson in farming and a great day with Calvin and Erin Riggleman. 

Read about it here. 

August 2008

We find ourselves with an abundance of watermelon {and an amazing surplus of watermelon granita}. John comes to the rescue with a blender and a bottle of rum, and a new drink is dubbed "Awesomeness." 

You can find our recipe here. Also- I must note that the year in review has helped me identify a pattern. Namely, John seems to be most actively involved in this local foods thing when there is some sort of adult beverage involved (see May 2008).

September 2008

Fall brings the arrival of apples to the market and I decide to take on apple pie.

Yes, that's right. I took on apple pie.

Meaning, after four unsuccessful years of trying to craft the perfect recipe for a certain somebody, I succeeded at long last.

Read about John's Favorite Apple Pie here. 

October 2008

The coming of fall convinces me to reflect on lessons learned from the spring and summer full of shopping at farmers markets and eating locally grown food. October also brings a new career opportunity for me, as I begin my new job working as an assistant for a very talented private chef. 

Read about lessons from The Garden Apartment here. 

November 2008

I join forces with April, Colleen, and Allison for an Eric Ripert market to table dinner party contest. Not only did I make three new friends (who love food as much as I do), but we actually won!

Read about our adventure here.

December 2008

The rich foods of the holidays convince me to take a healthy break with this recipe for apple, fennel, and pomegranate salad with maple vinaigrette. 

January 2009

I battle inaugural practice parade traffic jams to get to the DuPont Circle Farmer's Market. And thank goodness for my patience (and an alternate route)!

The result of that January farmers market trip was this wonderful baked ricotta tart with a mashed potato crust.

February 2009

The Garden Apartment kitchen is painted orange {a decision we are still mulling over}. 

Read about it here and decide whether you deem the paint hip and fresh or just plain radioactive-looking. 

March 2009

I round out the year with deep fried deliciousness in the name of buffalo wings. 

Happy Birthday, Garden Apartment!

I hope the year in review has been as much fun for you as it has for me. I look forward to bringing you more great recipes, food-related stories, and seasonal foods expertise in the years to come.