Asparagus Nouveau
Every spring we get the chance to transform employee and guest perceptions of really great Asparagus. This season shouldn't be any different. Already Zing employees have been out to our secret little asparagus patch and harvested close to 150 lbs. That's right, we have a dedicated crew of cooks, sales people and marketers out picking asparagus every 3 or 4 days. Picking our own asparagus lets us be the end-all be-all on quality of asparagus. Freshness, size, color and maturity are the quality points we look for in the field. It gets harvested, washed, cooked, sold and served all by the same folks.

Asparagus around here is a big thing in the next couple of weeks. Every May-ish we pick and sell close to seven or eight hundred pounds in just a few short weeks. We will be serving two of our favorite asparagus products until the season runs out. (That should be late May) Our very simple yet delicious roasted asparagus seems to take the lead on sales out of the case. Amazing how just really good salt, pepper and the wispy caramelized tops of great asparagus can taste so good. Eat this one alone or dice it up and throw it into your next pasta dish at home.

The other favorite recipe is our soup — Cheve Noir — for lack of a better name. It is a great combination of flavors. Again super simple, great Calder Dairy whole milk with fresh tarragon, fresh picked asparagus and Cheve Noir goat cheddar from Quebec. By picking our own we end up with only super tender asparagus in our soup. It gives our soup an extra creaminess that makes it hard to believe your eating that much of one vegetable. We will try and keep this one around for a while.

Don't miss out on great tasting fresh asparagus; come down to the Deli for a taste!

Thanks,
Chef Rodger