The Sandpoint Eater: All stalked up

By Marcia Pilgeram
Reader Columnist

My surefire “signs of spring” are popping up everywhere. For the third year, the sweetest crow ever (whom I’ve christened Crowbie) has made himself known to me. He delights me with his presence, following my car down the street, flying above the driveway, then perching atop the garage door gable to greet me. He’s highly entertaining, and though I’ve yet to receive a special, shiny gift — which crows are known to bestow upon their humans — I still provide him with massive quantities of peanuts. Alas, I am rewarded with empty peanut shells. 

Another favorite sign of spring? All the glorious shoots of my ruby red, childhood rhubarb popping up through the mulch, reminding me of my dear mother and all the tangy treats she taught me to bake with our tart harvest.

Soon, it will be time for the much-anticipated Spring Release Weekend in Walla Walla, Wash., and lots of Sandpoint friends will be headed that way. I was there last weekend for the early release party at Cayuse Winery. For 13 long years, I was on the waitlist to become a wine club member, and I finally made the cut three years ago. Passionate founder Christophe Baron left his generations-old family vineyards in France to become a master vigneron in Walla Walla (I’d say he’s also a master marketer), and I couldn’t wait to finally shell out my hard-earned money for his prized, limited selections.  

In 2002, Cayuse became the first domain in the Walla Walla Valley to fully implement biodynamic farming — a chemical-free approach designed to produce healthier soil and food. Based on Dr. Rudolph Steiner’s research in the 1920s, the philosophy focuses on the interrelationship of earth, plants and animals as a closed, self-nourishing ecosystem. Followers use an astronomical sowing and planting calendar. Baron planted his first vines among 10 acres of stones and now farms 47 acres of grapes, producing some of the region’s most acclaimed wines. 

The party was lively and festive, and it was filled with wine lovers who traveled over much greater distances than me. With glasses in hand, we reveled in myriad selections of fabulous wines and sublime morsels of gastronomic fare. 

I headed back home the following day, but first made a long-planned stop at the Country Mercantile, just outside of Pasco, Wash. For more than 20 years, it’s been a road trip “must-stop” every time I head to Walla Walla or Oregon (which was often, as I had been a college student in Oregon for almost 10 years). 

Initially, it was a large produce stand but has grown into a traveler’s gourmet mecca of all things Northwest: chocolates, sauces, gifts, gadgets and jams of every flavor. Sadly, as the rest of the departments have doubled and tripled in size, the produce section has shrunk, but they had what I came for: freshly harvested asparagus.

Walla Walla and its surrounding areas are some of the most productive asparagus-growing regions in the U.S., and Country Mercantile had cases upon cases of the bright green stalks. 

I was on the hunt for pickling asparagus for others — three pounds of nice thick stalks for one friend and two pounds each for two other pals. It was such a gorgeous harvest that I decided to stock up on a 20-pound box of stalks. And why not? I saved almost a dollar a pound by buying bulk! 

Native to Europe and parts of South Asia, asparagus has a unique nutty and earthy flavor. There are dozens of ways to prepare this popular springtime vegetable: fry, roast, grill, sauté, boil, pickle, tempura, steam or even raw in salads. It’s especially tasty, too, as a pickled accoutrement in an Easter brunch bloody Mary.

I won’t be around to prepare Easter brunch this year, and I’m scolding myself for a comment I made in this column about a year ago, stating I’d never again travel over my favorite holiday: Easter. But here I am, packing my bags and heading on holiday to Ireland with my 10-year-old granddaughter Fern and her mom Ryanne. 

So, be careful what you commit to paper. Even though I have a nice peanut-plumped specimen at hand, with due respect to Crowbie, I shan’t be eating crow — just my words. I imagine I’ll also soon be eating some tasty asparagus at Ballymaloe Manor (my favorite restaurant in Ireland).   

In the meantime, I offer you a recipe for a delicious, tart and colorful salad you can serve for brunch, lunch or supper: asparagus and orange salad with citrus vinaigrette. Happy Easter!

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Asparagus spring salad with citrus vinaigrette

Sweet-tart Cara Cara oranges, crunchy asparagus and savory prosciutto, Parmesan and pistachios pack this salad with lots of great flavors and colors. Skip the prosciutto for a vegetarian plate. Delicious as a first course or a main course with French bread and a chilled pinot gris. If you’d like, you can peel one asparagus as a fun little extra garnish atop the salad. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 1 small shallot, peeled and cut into large chunks

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• Zest of 1 orange (before juicing)

• ½ cup fresh orange juice

• 2 tbs red wine vinegar

• ½ tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper

• ½ tsp Dijon mustard

• Squeeze of fresh lemon

• 1 tbs honey

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad:

• Favorite greens of choice (spinach, romaine, arugula, etc.), washed and set aside

• 1 small bunch asparagus (12-16 stalks), washed well, bottom stems snapped off and discarded, tips snapped and reserved, and the remaining stalk thinly sliced, diagonally

• 2 Cara Cara oranges, peeled. Segment and cut into chunks

• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced

• ¼ cup red onion, finely diced

• ½ cup chopped pistachios

• 4 thin slices of prosciutto

• ¼ cup shaved Parmesan

Directions:

For dressing: Place shallot, garlic, orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, lemon juice and honey in food processor. Blend until the shallot is very finely chopped. Slowly blend in olive oil. Transfer to a storage jar and chill until needed. 

For salad: Arrange lettuce on chilled salad plate. In a large bowl, combine the sliced asparagus, orange chunks, avocado and red onion. Toss with half of dressing. Mound on greens. Top with prosciutto, asparagus tips, shaved Parmesan and pistachios. Drizzle all with more dressing. Serve immediately.