white asparagus with red bell pepper coulis

serve something a little different that's still appetizing, not odd.

i am not a fan of aspic or mushroom foam. sure, unusual ingredients are intriguing. but even so, give them to me in a dish that's recognizable as food, artfully arranged or simply ladled into a bowl.

white asparagus is grown covered over in mounds of dirt and harvested before any chlorophyll forms in the plants. void of green color, it has a milder, less-green taste than the more common variety. remove the bitter peeling of the colorless stem to reveal an iridescent, pearly, delicate stalk . . . and present a dish that might be unexpected, but isn't peculiar tasting.


ingredients

• white asparagus (6 or 7 stalks per serving)

• vegetable stock

• 1 bay leaf per serving

• roughly chopped pistachios

• leeks- 1 per serving, sliced thin
• olive oil

• sea salt

• red bell pepper coulis (click here for the recipe)

directions

1. wash the asparagus and snap of the bottom of the stems. lay them on the cutting board and peel the stalks with a vegetable peeler.

2. put the asparagus into a skillet. add enough veg. stock to almost cover. sprinkle with a little salt, and add the bay leaves.

3. simmer for about 8 min. just until tender, but not too soft.

4. drain the cooked asparagus (save the liquid for soup) and retain the bay leaves for serving.

5. wipe out the skillet and coat the bottom with several tbls. olive oil. heat on med-low until shimmering. add the sliced leeks, season with salt, and cook until soft.

6. put the cooked leeks into a small bowl and wipe out the skillet.

7. using the same skillet, make the red bell pepper coulis.

9. spoon some coulis onto a plate and lay 6 or 7 stalks of cooked asparagus on top. add some of the cooked leeks and chopped pistachios.

10. drizzle the plate with olive oil. garnish with the cooked bay leaves.