Your Pee Will Smell Funny

Over the weekend, we had a couple friends over to grill. With the forecast pointing to the possibility of rain, I planned a simple menu that wouldn't leave me all wet in front of the grill for what would seem like hours. Grilled ribeyes, Spinach Twice-Baked Potatoes, a perfectly awful new recipe for herbed garlic bread that I won't be forcing on anyone else, a fruit salad contributed by a guest, and asparagus were what I planned to fill our plates.

I knew that some people have an aversion to the grassy flavor of asparagus, but with my husband bringing home armfuls of fresh-cut, wild asparagus every day from his travels to and from the farm, my refrigerator crisper drawer was begging for me to use some. I was mildly surprised to learn that one guest had never eaten these amazing green spears.

After I had tossed the asparagus with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled just until starting to be tender, but not soft, she tentatively sampled one stalk. She liked it. She really liked it and loaded up her plate with more. She wasn't even deterred when we warned her that eating asparagus has an interesting reaction with bodily fluids. Score one for the beauty of fresh asparagus.

Super tender, fresh stalks don't even have to cooked to be enjoyed. Hubs carries a salt shaker in his vehicle and readily chomps a few sweet, young spears during his asparagus hunts. Shaving into ribbons is a bit trickier, but I found THIS VIDEO to be loaded with helpful tips for the slender spears. The resulting salad tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and garnished with slivers of Parmesan cheese is an incredible taste of spring. However, be warned...after eating it, your pee will smell funny.

Shaved Asparagus Salad

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

one bunch asparagus

juice of half of a lemon

1/2 tablespoon olive oil...or so

coarse salt

freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese

Snap the tough ends off the spears of asparagus.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave into thin ribbons.
Combine juice of lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Toss asparagus ribbons with dressing.
Garnish with shavings of Parmesan.