SPRING'S NEW SPEARS

As each new season of produce starts, cooks prefer simplicity: the fresh stalk of asparagus, the cluster of strawberries, the ear of corn or handful of blueberries. What could be better than the true essence of freshness? Cooks don't need to do much to enhance what is already perfect.

That holds true for the first few weeks of whatever is fresh. But after too many meals with the same ingredient, even the most seasonal cook pauses at the stovetop, then looks for a variation.

That's how I am with asparagus. I wait all winter for those first stalks to arrive, my preference being the skinny ones, which are plentiful early on. Then I eat them for too many meals: steamed, or occasionally roasted (tossed in olive oil and later sprinkled with salt or Parmesan), sometimes tossed with a little pasta or cooked in a stir-fry.

But delightful as those dishes are, I need variety. So I look for more ways to use up this harbinger of spring before it's gone and I move onto the next seasonal vegetable. (Don't even get me started on the silliness of eating "fresh" asparagus in the fall or winter.)

As I do with most vegetables, I often turn to soup as an option. Asparagus soup shouts "green" and "spring" all in the same taste. If you make your own vegetable stock for the asparagus soup, you can use a stalk or two of asparagus for extra flavor.

Or turn asparagus into a brunch dish with poached eggs and a Parmesan sauce. If you're looking for salad options, mix citrus vinaigrette with oranges and asparagus. The options are limitless. The recipes on page T8 will get you started.