Asparagus Parmesan

2000 Years of Asparagus

Asparagus is a member of the lily family and related to onions and leeks. The word itself comes from the Greek word aspharagos, which derived from the Persian word asparag, meaning sprout or shoot and was used to refer to all tender shoots. According to the Wikipedia, "Asparagus was also corrupted in some places to "sparrow grass"; indeed, John Walker stated in 1791 that 'Sparrow-grass is so general that asparagus has an air of stiffness and pedantry.'"

Although the Greeks picked and ate wild asparagus (as did early Egyptians,

Spaniards, and Syrians) the first great asparagus lovers were the Romans. The Romans cultivated it in the first and second centuries A.D. -- primarily in the Tiber River area -- and the Roman Emperors kept what was called the Asparagus Fleet to quickly ship the vegetable to their tables when it was in season. They would also send it to the Alps where it was frozen and then enjoyed later at the Feast of Epicurus. A recipe for asparagus is included in Apicius's 3rd century Roman cookbook De re coquinaria.

Asparagus became popular in France and England in the 16th century and King Louis XIV had special greenhouses built to grow it year-round.
As hard as it is to believe, it's possible to have too much asparagus for a single meal. This only occurs if you're growing your own, but it has to be harvested when it's ready because it will have grown too far the next day. It's also better if it's cooked immediately and kept rather than stored raw. My mother's standard way of fixing leftover asparagus was to layer it a couple of spears deep on a baking sheet, then she would spread a layer of mayonaise over it and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the top. A few minutes under the broiler would heat the asparagus and brown the cheese and always resulted in a very happy Kevin.

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