Springtime Meal for a Rainy Day

      It's finally springtime up here in good old Seattle, and while it's chilly outside, at least we are seeing the flowers blooming.  And it's thankfully lighter at both ends of the day.  I take as much comfort from that as from almost all the rest.  I guess I am like the chickens that way:  very dependent on the daylight hours.
      At this time of the year, more so than any other, I feel the arrival of certain foods to be a very welcome relief from the monotony of the season before.  It's getting a bit thin there at the farmer's markets, and we are all in a waiting game for the items that show that our gardens are giving it a go, one more time.  On the forefront of this is asparagus.  O asparagus!   If I were a poet I would write an ode to the asparagus.  This fantastic vegetable is elegant, mysterious and entirely accessible in the kitchen.  It lends itself to many incarnations.
     This dinner is thanks to a new site that I have been peeking at lately:  Food 52 (thanks, Laura!). This site operates a hodge podge of categories:  techniques, items for sale, and contributions from a host of sources for recipes.  I like looking at the pictures, but it's the recipes that catch my attention the most.
     So it was quite inspiring to find both the asparagus idea and the fish idea on this site.  The fish, based on a recipe from James Peterson, is extremely simple.  I used the opportunity to try it on two kinds of white fish, and found the cheaper rockfish more to my liking.
      The shining star however, was the asparagus.  I frankly butchered the recipe, as I was in a rush, and didn't want to fiddle with all of the ingredients.  I am sure that the addition of the full complement would be lovely.  This stripped down version was fantastic.   Add a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and you have all the makings of a fairly simple but fancy springtime dinner.
   

 Halibut and Rockfish

Finished product

       Fish Baked with Butter and Sherry

serves 2-3

adapted from Food 52

2 lbs non-oily white fish, such as halibut, rockfish or cod

Salt and pepper

2-3T butter

3T dry sherry

2 T chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 400F.   Pat the fish dry, and season generously with salt and pepper.

Dot with the butter, sprinkle with the sherry and then the parsley.

Bake 10-15 min until the fish is just opaque and flakes.  Do not over bake!

Absurdly Addictive Asparagus

serves 2

adapted from Food 52

1 lb asparagus, ends trimmed, and cut in 2" lengths

2 strips bacon,  chopped

1 T butter

1 c quartered and sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only

2 T pine nuts

1/4 t orange zest

Salt and pepper

Saute the bacon in a skillet until browned.  Add the butter, and then the leeks and asparagus.  Saute approximately 3-4 min, until asparagus is tender.  Add the pine nuts, and continue to stir.  Right before serving, add the orange zest and correct seasonings.  

The original asparagus recipe included garlic and lemon zest.  It called for pancetta.  That just wasn't going to happen on short notice in my house, but this was also amazing and will be repeated.