The sight locally grown of asparagus in our grocery stores is a sure sign that the growing season is well under way. No longer do we have to settle for –or avoid– droopy forlorn stalks trucked in from Mexico and California, the recent excellent weather means we can feast on this perennial favourite harvested nearby only a day or two ago.

Though fashionable foraging foodies fawn over fiddleheads and rave about ramps, the regal asparagus has always held a position of high esteem in the culinary world. Prized in ancient Egypt, Syria and Spain, it also graced Roman tables during the Feast of Epicurius, is included in the oldest surviving recipe book, Apicius’ De re coquinaria from the third century, and so desirable that the Emperor Augustus reserved the Asparagus Fleet for transporting it. Centuries later, Louis XIV built greenhouses for it, and Madame de Pompadour munched on its “points d’amour”

And who among us, when we were in our  green goddess salad days, has not sat down to a feast surf and turf with a side of steamed asparagus smothered in Hollandaise, or casually punctuated a salient point while twirling a tender stalk, acutely aware that it is permissible –if not expected– to nibble this illustrious vegetable with one’s fingers?

Whether steamed, sautéed or grilled on the barbeque, this is a quick cooking veggie. Even a minute too long on the fire will render it soggy and sad. There is a reason that Caesar Augustus coined the term “faster than cooking Asparagus”

My chariot is faster than cooking asparagus!

We love to grill asparagus but if sticking indoors, prefer a pan sautee method rather than steaming, and one of the simplest methods to cook it is provided by Edna Lewis courtesy of Saveur. This preparation is so simple, straightforward and delicious, you will never go back to steaming it again.

Edna Lewis’ Skillet Asparagus

2 lbs. asparagus

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse asparagus in cold water and trim off tough ends of stalks. Put butter in a heavy skillet with a tight-fitting lid and heat until butter is foaming. Lay asparagus in the pan and shake from side to side to coat asparagus gently with melted butter; cover tightly and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Check asparagus and turn as needed to make sure the stalks cook evenly and don’t burn.

2. Continue cooking 5 minutes longer, or until asparagus is tender but still crisp and bright green. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot.

So get in on a little history. Grab a bundle of Asparagus and cook it up while it is still fresh and readily available.

This Sunday, May 13, is Mother’s Day.  The tradition selecting a day or festival to honour and celebrate our mothers goes back thousands of years, from the Greco-Roman festivals honouring the mother of the gods, Cybele. But it wasn’t until the early twentieth Century, when West Virginian Anna Jarvis selected the second Sunday in May as a day to honour our mothers that the occasion really caught on. Here is a little of her story:

Anna’s mother Ann Jarvis had founded Mothers’ Day Work Clubs in five cities to improve sanitary and health conditions. The Mothers’ Day Work Clubs also treated wounds, fed, and clothed both Union and Confederate soldiers with neutrality.

On May 12, 1907, two years after her mother’s death, Anna held a memorial to her mother and thereafter embarked upon a campaign to make “Mother’s Day” a recognized holiday. She succeeded in making this nationally recognized in 1914. The International Mother’s Day Shrine was established in Grafton to commemorate her accomplishment.

By the 1920s, Anna Jarvis had become soured by the commercialization of the day. She incorporated herself as the Mother’s Day International Association, trademarked the phrases “second Sunday in May” and “Mother’s Day”, and was once arrested for disturbing the peace. She and her sister Ellsinore spent their family inheritance campaigning against what the holiday had become. Both died in poverty. According to her New York Times obituary, Jarvis became embittered because too many people sent their mothers a printed greeting card. As she said, “A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world.”

As Anna Jarvis never married and had no children, she never suffered that indignity. Be that as it may, Mothers day is alive and kicking, and presents us with a perennial opportunity to do something special for our moms.

Perhaps this year you can think outside the box of candy, or the bouquet of flowers. Did you know Chuck Hughes is coming to town?  Star of “Chuck’s Day Off”, the handsome chef has been known to set the hearts of many a mother aflutter with his  charm and savoir faire in the most important room in a mother’s house, the kitchen.

He’ll be at the Drake Hotel on Monday, May 14th, promoting his new cookbook, “Garde Manger.” Imagine taking your Mama to this event and getting this babe to personalize a copy of  his book. She may re-write her will!

 Garde Manger is a great cookbook full of recipes that run the gamut from sublime comfort foods like Fried Hot Chicken on Waffles to classic desserts like Strawberry Shortcake, and is chock full of beautiful full page colour photos of the perfect man mucking about in the kitchen. Dedicated to “ anyone who’s ever cooked on the line or washed dishes”, this could be a dedication to “everymom.” He even includes a picture of himself with his Mom in the book. What a nice boy.

Anyway, even if you can’t make it to the Drake to check out this hottie, you can surprise your mom with a copy of this cookbook on Sunday. Anna Jarvis will thank you.

Many of us of a certain age were brought up with canned vegetables. In the pantry sat can stacked on can of various veggies, from creamed corn to something called “niblets” to canned peas. Perhaps canned vegetables were popular because the can represented modern technology, could be stored at room temperature and locked away in a subterranean bunker while the family waited out a little black rain.

Of all the canned vegetables, canned peas were probably the worst. Open the can and a peculiar aroma would waft out, unlike anything of this world, a smell that could gestate in the can for untold eons. The colour of canned peas is also its own special hue, something in between Khaki and bile, and the texture of the canned pea is also otherworldly; there is a reason the Brits fancy something called Mushy Peas, but you had to be there.

It is no wonder getting a kid to eat a side of canned peas is a herculean task that would tax the patience of a saint. Neither is it a mystery why it took several years before I could muster up the nerve to revisit the humble pea. And now, fresh peas, purchased from the grocer or farmers market are about the most beautiful little vegetable imaginable. The only problem is, they are only in season for a short time, and that time is a few months away. Thankfully, somewhere between the frightening canned pea and the beautiful, fresh out of the pod little emerald is a pretty good approximation to the real thing. Frozen peas.

When buying frozen peas you shouldn’t skimp on quality. There are some brands that are better than others-to each his own-but a good rule of thumb is this: buy frozen baby peas.

The large peas are often picked well past their prime and are borderline bitter. Baby peas are delightful. Plump and juicy, they pop when you bite them and are tender, bright green little gems.

The trick is to not overcook them. Bring your water to a furious boil and add your peas. A few minutes after the water has returned to the boil your peas will be ready. Strain them and you are good to go; season, maybe add a little butter and chopped mint and chives and eat them right away. Don’t reheat them, they will lose their colour and become wrinkled!

You can also shock them with an ice bath to prevent them from overcooking if you are not using them right away, or plan on making a soup or puree out of them. An ice bath will also make sure they keep their beautiful vibrant colour.

Here is one of our favourite ways to enjoy this amazing legume, courtesy of Martha Stewart. Try this and you will never open another can again. It is the perfect recipe for a meat-free Monday meal in springtime when we want green things on the plate. If you’ve got fresh Ontario asparagus or fiddleheads saute them in the pan with the wild mushrooms for a beautiful feast.

Save the mushy peas for your great aunt from Cornwall.

Pea Flan with Wild Mushrooms

For The Flan

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup whole milk

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups shelled fresh garden peas (from 2 pounds in pods)

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

For The Mushrooms

1/2 stick unsalted butter

10 ounces wild mushrooms (such as oyster, chanterelle, or morel), halved if small, quartered if large

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges and fine strips of lemon zest, for serving (optional)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 6)

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Make the flan: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter six 6-ounce ramekins, and place in a roasting pan. Combine cream and milk in a bowl.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the peas. Reduce heat, and vigorously simmer until peas are very tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, and immediately transfer to a food processor. Add butter, 1 tablespoon cream mixture, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Puree until very smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour puree through a coarse sieve. Measure out 1/2 cup strained puree into a bowl, and whisk in eggs, then remaining cream mixture. Strain through a fine sieve (this will result in the finest-textured flan). Divide among ramekins.

Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place pan in oven, and add enough boiling water to pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until custards are almost completely set (the centers should still wobble, but not be liquid), 25 to 30 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer ramekins to a wire rack and let cool 30 minutes. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cool (flans can be refrigerated in ramekins up to 1 hour); dip bottoms in hot water to loosen before unmolding.

Make the mushrooms: When ready to serve flans, melt butter in a large skillet over high heat until foamy. Add mushrooms and lemon zest; season with salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are golden brown and tender, stirring once or twice, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in scallions, and saute 1 minute more. Add cream, and cook 1 minute. Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve flans with sauteed mushrooms and lemon wedges. Garnish with lemon-zest strips.

With Spring in full bloom and the last few days showering us with much needed precipitation, now is the perfect time to get out and enjoy some of Toronto’s amazing parks. Every neighbourhood in the city has a park that local residents can be proud of, whether they are small parkettes with swingsets and jungle gyms, the stunning ravines or the grand dames like High Park or the Islands.

Most of the signs in Toronto parks are emblazoned with the logo, “Toronto; A City within a Park” and this is not much of an exaggeration. Over four million trees in public parks, boulevards and ravines coupled with another six million trees on private property form what is known as the “Urban Forest,” providing relief from the sun, absorbing pollutants and toxins, and producing oxygen. And of course this verdant canopy and the lands underneath provide a natural habitat for birds and urban wildlife; trees cool our homes in the summer and protect us from howling winds in the winter.

And parks themselves have traditionally been a gathering place for community events. In the winter, many parks have skating rinks, and in the summer, baseball diamonds. Some parks have petting zoos and rides, some just offer a quiet space to read or have a picnic, far from the madding crowd.

Parks are where you can meet your neighbours, walk your dogs or watch your kids splash around in a supervised wading pool. Many parks in the city offer the opportunity to take in outdoor movies at night, play tennis, basketball or soccer, buy produce from a farmer’s market or have a barbeque by the waterfront, all for free! Really an amazing gift. And all anyone really asks is that you respect others right to enjoy the space, they are, after all public places. So keep your dogs on a leash unless it is an off-leash area, pick up after your pet, and don’t litter! Litterbugs suck!

For information on what special activities are available at a park in your neighbourhood, check out this site.

Perhaps you will find an amazing destination that gets you out of your own hood and lets you discover some of the wonderful activities that make our city a place we are proud to call home.

At this time of year, the usual subjects congregate to debate the signs of spring. Maybe it’s the sight of the first red-breasted robin. Some don’t consider winter officially over until the arrival of wild leeks, while others practically burst into a jig at the sight of a fiddlehead. But for us it is the humble and irrepressible chive that truly means spring is here.

The great thing about chives is you don’t have to go foraging for them in mushy bogs or root around forest floors that still have a covering of snow. Ok, that’s actually a pretty great activity too, but there are days when you want to get that spring in your step without having to trudge into the hinterlands, and chives, resilient and prolific, the smallest of the edible onions, are just the herbs to do put it there.

blanched chives can be blitzed with olive oil to make a vibrant green infused oil

If you planted them in your yard a few years ago, they are there now, spreading, waiting for you to snip them and adorn your salads or add that first touch of authentic semi wilderness to your soups. If you planted them in a planter on your porch, they will still be thriving in it long after the planter has been neglected or cracked apart and ready to retire. The pot may be ready for the bin, but the chive is indestructible.

Of course, you can buy chives year round in the grocery, just like most herbs, but there is something quite satisfying about not having to do that.

No need to get smug about it though, with chives you don’t really get to boast about growing them yourself; they did that all on their own, they are hearty little fellas.

And when they go to bloom, a pink chive flower is a lovely addition to your cuisine, adding colour, flavour and charm to almost anything. 

More than just one third of the ubiquitous triumverate topping a baked potato, chives also have a high falutin’ pedigree in French cooking, as they are one of the fines herbes (along with tarragon, chervil and parsley) and are so versatile that once you get used to using them on a regular basis, you won’t consider a dish complete unless you can add the touch of colour, green or pink, to your plate.

So move over ramps and fiddleheads, for me, chives are the true harbingers of spring.

We’ve been obsessed with radishes and butter lately, ever since tweeting this recipe. Here is another great recipe from Martha that lets the chive take centre stage, perfect for an afternoon of April showers or May flowers.