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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-05-22, Page 34Page 12B—Crossroads—May 22, 1985 Hope, asparagus spring eternal By Maureen'Clancy Like the spring season's lithe, willowy models show- ing off the latest fashion de- signs, the new asparagus crop is out to impress the gastronomic world with its elegance, versatility and good taste. Though purists insist it should only be served steam- ed and dipped in melted but- ter, asparagus is versatile. Asparagus is good as a first course. When hot, it is fa- shionably dressed with hol-. landaise, mousseline and other butter -based sauces; when cold or at room temp- erature, it is. smashing in vinaigrette or mustard - spiked mayonnaise. Because it needs no fancy sauces, asparagus goes well with meat, poultry and fish entrees. In many countries, asparagus actually is the en- tree, served with rice or po- tatoes as garnish. But good looks, versatility and a savory nature aren't all that asparagus has to of- fer. Asparagus is packed with the natural fiber that aids digestion. It is high in vitamin -C, with one cup of cooked asparagus containing about 85 per cent of an adult's recommended daily allowance. Asparagus also contains vitamin A and iron. Moreover, it is a good source of potassium and is very low in solium. There are about 35 calories in a large serving (about 1 cup or one-third pound) — before the butter! The best asparagus to buy are firm and straight and have compact, clean buds ( tips). Look for a rich green color and uniform size so that all stalks will cook in the same amount of time. Asparagus with buds that have begun to open and separate into tiny florets . were picked when they were • already too mature, and may be tough and fibrous. Aspar- agus. with white root ends that extend more than an inch or two up the stalk were • picked too early andwill result in much waste. At home, shave 1/4 -inch off the butt ends and stand the spears up -right in a shallow • pan with about an inch of wa- ter.- Cover loosely with • plastic and store in the re- frigerator. Preparation begins with a • snap! Break off thestalks an inch or two from the end (ripe asparagus will yield easily to gentle pressure at this point). Wash carefully under cold running water. • Then, with a swivel -bladed vegetable peeler, scrape the stalks, stroking toward the root end. The ideal way to cook as- paragus is to blanch it stand- ing ,up, tied in bundles of about 10 equal -length stalks. This allows the thicker ends to be cooked more ,thorough- ly than tile delivate tips. Keep pot partially covered. Cook only until crisp -tend- er — about 6 to 8 minutes. One pound of asparagus serves two people as a first course; three or four people as a vegetable course. If the food budget rules out such extravagance, fresh aspar- agus can be extended in quiches, casseroles, salads and soups. 4, Along with robins, base-__ ball and the blooming crocus, asparagus is a heart- ening sign of spring. The fol - lowing recipes will help the Name cook to take full 'ad- vantage of this year's crop. ASPARAGUS POLONAISE 4 lbs. asparagus 1/2 cup clarified butter 3 tbsps. freshly grated bread crumbs 3 tbsps. grated hard -cooked egg yolk 3 tbsps. grated hard -cooked egg white 3 tbsps. minced parsley Steam asparagus until al dente. Arrange asparagus on buttered flame -proof dish. Heat butter in skillet. Mix remaining ingredients and add to butter. Saute for few minutes. Sprinkle over tips of asparagus. Run under broiler for few minutes, being careful not to burn. ASPARAGUS AU GRATIN 1-2 lbs. asparagus 2 generous tbsps. butter 2 heaping tbsps. flour 1 cup hot milk 1 cup asparagus water 2 slices cooked ham, optional '/4 cup cream Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste 4-6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced 1/4 cup grated cheese (pre- ferably Gruyere) 1 heaping tbsp. bread crumbs 2 tbsps, melted butter Cook and drain asparagus. Melt butter in heavy pan, stir in flour aind leave to bubble for,moment or two. Add milk and asparagus water grad- ually to make smooth sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes, or more, until sauce is thick. Chop ham, if used, and add to sauce with cream. Season with salt, pepper and nut- meg. Arrange asparagus in oval gratin dish, with sliced hard - ,,boiled eggs on top. Pour sauce over them, leaving clear 1/4 -inch at top of dish or sauce will boil over. Mix cheese and bread crumbs and scatter on top of sauce. Dribble melted butter evenly over them, and put into hot oven, 425 F, for about 20 min- utes until dish is bubbling and brown (final browning also can be done under broiler). Serves 4 to 6. • ASPARAGUS • CHICKEN SALAD 1/2 lb. fresh asparagus, cleaned and trimmed 12 ozs. (21/2 cups) cooked chicken, cut into small chunks 2 ozs. sliced almonds, toast- ed 1/2 cup sour cream i/4 tsp. curry powder 1/4 tsp. dry mustard 1/4 tsp. onion powder V2 tsp. salt Paprika for garnish 1-2 tbsps. mayonnaise Blanch asparagus; chill. Cut into 1/2 -inch pieces, re- serving 6 smaller spears. Combine asparagus pieces, chicken and half of almonds. In small bowl, mix sour cream spices and salt. Stir sour cream into chicken mixture. Pack chicken into small (2 to 3 cup) casserole dish. Invert dish over dinner , plate and allow "mOlded" salad to drop out.- To finish, sprinkle paprika over top of salad. With small spatula, "frost" sides of salad with thin coating of mayonnaise. Lay reserved asparagus spears over top oL salad, Press remaining almonds lightly onto sides. Serves 3 to 4. USE. WIRE BASKETS TO HANG PLAN TS „11107ei:. d vow 11111/1friiiillAt Irony ./ wg$1101,,AA'Aitill1111 A Tiiiwarf ‘\‘‘FIL„g " 1111111IN a 1,tv 1 "Kw, Stbilit\\\4CP1 11110,1,fri 1141S M AN ATIR.A.CTN \NAN? 10 0 t'SPLAY OUR. PLANTS) BUT AT 114 E SAMF- I.T GETS T"1-kEM UP tam° OUT OF TiekE. 1-- BY CHRISTOPHER & JANIC.I NYERGES R CYC LI NIG RUGGED BEAUTY — A textured carpet such as this carved Anso nylon hides soil and wear ir0eavy-traffic areas, and at the same time is sound -absorbing and warm underfoot. • Textured carpet well suited to heavy -traffic areas By Barbara Hartung Q. We have a small home 'and three very active chil- dren. We are hard on furn- ishings, yet I want to provide all the luxury I can. I am considering replacing the worn-out shag carpeting with vinyl tile in the.living room because we are hard on carpeting. I am afraid, how- ever, 'that the vinyl will give a cold feeling to the room. What are the pros and cons of vinyl in the living room?—M.M. A. A hard -surface floor covering such as 17nyl is in- deed easier to keep clean and will wear well, but it is far less pleasant to walk on than carpeting. It also has the dis- advantage of having poor acoustic qualities. Sounds tend to bounce off the walls and floors, causing the room to seem noisier, You can solve those prob- lems partially adding a decorative area rug in a sit- ting section of the living room, letting the vinyl 'ser- vice the heavy traffic pat- terns. Or If you decide on carpet- ing, consider a pattern that, has at least some texture, like a swirl or multilevel carved design in it. This type of texture in a heavy Anso nylon or similar fabric will give you the best service. To compound the practicality, check out multicolored weaves thaf help to hide dirt and wear. Q. I have purchased a small town house that I will be moving into soon. It is carpeted in good quality and almost new bright orange plush, with a tiny brown fleck. This carpeting is in the foyer, stairway to the living room, living room and dining room. I need to repaint the walls, paper the foyer and kitchen, purchase a sofa bed and per- haps a wing chair. What colors should I use, to tone down the strident impact of this bright carpet? I have traditional furnish- ings, with a bit of English chintz. I do not want a heavy masculine treatment.—C.S. A. A part of your choice depends on the English chintz you have in your furn- ishings. How much of this do you have? If there is a great deal, I hope it will go with the orange carpeting. If not, you probably --th-e45-ffig to Wantto change something. My guess would be that a soft medium beige probably would be a good wall color for you, better than an off- white or cream that would be too stark or a pale peach that might tend to call more at- tention to the warm Colors in your room, Incidentally, don't over- look adding ceiling and wall moldings to your living room and -or dining room to pro- vide even more traditioal feeling for your furnishings. A sofa bed in a light, plain neutral tone such as oatmeal or light beige would be pleas- ing and a wing chair in leather or simulated suede (either in a natural leather color or a deep brown) would look fine. These major pur- chases in furniture are neutral enough that in the future, should you decide to change the carpeting, you could move into almost any color scheme. . If, after you have attemp- ted to tone down the carpet- ing with your new furnish- ings, paint and paper, you still feel the carpeting is too dominant, you might con- sider an area rug -under your sofa and chair. This literally could cover up some of the orange. If you chose neutral tones for the rug to highlight your color scheme, the rug culd be a definite decorat- ilig When .deciding on a pat- tern of wallpaper for your foyer and kitchen, choose carefully, considering the chintz you already have. A nice' strip in your color scheme would be attractive and complementary to floral prints. Because you are planning to purchase some new furn- iture, seek professional help from the store where you will do your major buying. Often an interior designer will be on the staff and available for consultation. ' Q. I want a frankly • feminine living room and bedroom in my apartment. I am buying some new furnishings and will be ' creating my own color schemes. I like pale colors in clothing and thought I would choose light, airy colors for my living quarters. Please help me with a color scheme.—P.B.N. A. One of the prettiest and most feminine color schemes available in fabrics and de- signs today is rose and aqua. Used with lots of white, the result can be breathlessly beautiful. Take, for example, pale rose walls, light mauve car- peting, a sofa in a mauve, cream and light aqua stripe, and a pair of wicker chairs with luxurious cushions in aqua and cream flowers. Ac- cessorize them with white, any shade of aqua from palest to deepest turquoise and any shade of mauve from palest to deep plum. U.S. Embassy seized Iranian Moslem militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, and took the Americans there hostage. Clair the paint and paperpeople Oyer 200 WALLPAPER BOOKS To Choose From at , 5 OFF &Clair the paint and piper people WATERLOO SQUARE Waterloo (Near K Mart) 886-3791 CONESTOGA MALL Waterloo (Near K Mart) 886-2789 Mon. -Wed. -9:30 to 5:30 Thurs,-Fri.-9:30 tp 9:00 Sat. -9:30 to 5:30 Mon. -Fri. -9:30 to 9:30 Sat. -9:30 to 6:00 CONCERNED ABOUT FUTURE EMPLOYMENT? 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