I would love to continue this recipe using the word Spargel instead of Asparagus.But this is a website is dedicated to German Americans like myself that are trying to understand their heritage.
Germans have a special celebration for strawberries and asparagus, and in the Spring , road side stands are all over, and festivals are celebrated for a short few months. In America for the most part these are items that are pretty much found in the supermarket all year long.
I like to peel the asparagus. as it makes it more tender and mild for this salad. I then cut a few inches off the end that is tough.
I save the end pieces and peelings and simmer them further in the broth to make a fine soup.
Take the asparagus and blanch it in the chicken stock. Cook it to your personal taste for texture. Some folks like it very crisp and
some like it cooked pretty well done till the color starts to turn olive green. I like it when it just starts to bend when you pull it out of the boiling stock. Save the stock to make some Asparagus Soup.
I like to plunge the asparagus in ice water to stop the cooking. Since the texture is essential to the asparagus
that plays the leading role in this salad, It needs to be spot on.
This seems like an unlikely combination and I have looked at it for years and never wanted to try it.
I am glad I did, as it will be something I will do several times every Spring.
Cut the asparagus into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces and sliced the strawberries.
I did them in heart shaped slices. Slicer's choice though.
The Dressing
Whisk or blend in a blender together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, and fresh chopped garlic.
Here is a nice video about making home made mayonnaise
I have made mayonnaise in many different ways and soon will make my own video.
I like the simplicity of making it in the same jar that you store it in. Simplicity simplicity at best.
I love the play of flavors with this salad. The mayo dressing is the perfect accompaniment.
This is the same idea only with the addition of bananas, and orange zest to round out a full range of the flavor spectrum,
Sweet, Sour, Salt, Bitter, and Umami.
If you have never worked with miso paste here is some quick facts.
it is made from cooked mashed soybeans, a special rice that ferments well
and makes a very wonderful flavor that you can flavor a broth with like you would chicken boullion.
I especially like it to make a savory mayonnaise that I use for a dipping sauce.
This a great mild flavored
Miso paste made from traditional
soybeans and rice
This brand was recommended by Cook's Illustrated, who taste tested white miso and chose this as their favorite. Here's what they had to say about it: "This toffee-colored miso combines intense “umami” with “tropical,” “sweet,” and “subtly tart” flavors.
A recipe book and short biography of my Grandmother Emma Block. Her recipes, culture and cooking styles that were brought over from Germany. How they evolved when she came to America in the early 1900s and settled in Portland, Oregon on the west coast of the United States. Over 100 recipes
Bonus Recipe CD with the Ebook and recipes with step by step pictures
Biography of my grandma
Emma Block From Germany with Love tells the story of my grandma, Emma Block, growing up in a little town in Baden/ Würtemberg, Germany near Heidelberg named Steinsfurt. Then at the age of 15 immigrating to the United States, taking a train with one of her sisters and brothers to Hamburg and sailing the Atlantic with other hope filled Germans wanting to make a life in the "New World". It was not easy but with good values learned in her German upbringing made a full life, had a wonderful family with lots of fun and celebration including the great German meals.
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