Paddleford on Asparagus
Asparagus in plenty marks the overture of spring in the vegetable garden, as do the snowdrops and the crocuses in the flower world. Let the joyful anticipation of eating the first shoots be realized at the Easter dinner.
Clementine Paddleford, New York Herald Tribune
Clementine Paddleford followed the advice of Esther Foley of the Herald Tribune Home Institute kitchen who did not cook asparagus standing up. No, no, it is the spears that were prostrate. She broke them at the right point, scraped the stalks, laid the spears in cold water and scrubbed them with a brush. She shook the heads gently in water. Then she put them into a skillet and almost covered them with boiling water. She put the lid on half way and cooked until the spears were just tender. They were served with melted butter with a shot of lemon or combined with browned bread crumbs. If butter or margarine was too scarce, she suggested blanketing the dish with cheese sauce and then browning briefly under broiler. For seven additional asparagus dishes she recommended the pamphlet "Asparagus for Epicures," available through the Herald Tribune.