Asparagus with Maple Tahini Dressing

Here is a delicious maple infused tahini dressing to adorn the queen of Spring. Asparagus.

Spring means wind here in the high desert. Wild, woolly wind. The kind of wind that howls way past midnight and thunders over the roof like a freight train. For two nights now our little casita has shook and rattled. Sleep has been edgy and restless. Change is afoot.

Spring also means asparagus.

It's a welcome signal of the warmer days to follow when those bundles of slender green stalks are back, standing tall in neat little rows at the local market- erect, perky little beauties. My deep and abiding craving for asparagus is surprising for someone who never tendered a single bite of fresh asparagus until my third decade here on planet Earth. Yes. I admit it.

I was anti-asparagus.

Until my thirties. In my own defense, I must mention that the only asparagus I was served in childhood was from a can, Babycakes. If you've never had the pleasure of noshing said limp and stringy excuse for a such a brilliant vegetable I am here to assure you, it was tinny and disgusting with a capital D (and in full disclosure, it ended up buried inside my Sunday paper napkin doomed for the garbage pail as soon as the parental and familial accomplices to this vegetable horror were occupied elsewhere, tuning into the Lawrence Welk Show).

Now? I could eat asparagus till the cows come home. Night and day. Can you overdose on asparagus? I hope not. Because I'm indulging every chance I get. It's been a long brown winter.

For my first asparagus of the season I wanted a simple, fresh recipe- nothing complicated. And nothing roasted, because I've been roasting vegetables all winter long. And although my favorite way to cook asparagus is to roast it with olive oil and tomatoes and garlic- like this Sexy Spring Pasta Recipe with Roasted Asparagus- this time I craved a simple presentation.

I just barely cooked it, simmering it briefly in a scant amount of water until it turned bright green. I like it tender-crisp. Then I whipped up a simple dressing with sesame tahini and pure maple syrup, and sprinkled some coarse sea salt over it. Vegan heaven. On a plate.

And did I mention? Not a single Lawrence Welk bubble in sight.

Asparagus with Maple Tahini Dressing Recipe

I cooked this batch of asparagus quickly- not even five minutes- because I wanted the stalks to be tender but slightly crisp. I served them at room temperature with our favorite dressing.

What you'll need:

1 bunch of perky thin asparagus, enough for four servings

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons sesame tahini
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Hot water, as needed

For serving:

Coarse sea salt or Kosher salt

Trim the bottom ends of the asparagus stalks, rinse, and lay them in a skillet; I used my big iron skillet. Add just enough water to keep them from scorching and cook them briefly, rotating them until they are bright green. Taste test for doneness to your liking.

Rinse them quickly in cool water (I do this to stop them from cooking, getting too soft, and turning yellowish green; I like them bright and crisp for this dressing).

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a glass measuring cup; add a little bit of hot water to thin. Whisk till smooth. Taste test and adjust the balance of sweet and nutty and tart. (I don't add salt to the dressing because I serve the asparagus with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt over the top.)

Serve the drained asparagus on a plate with a drizzle of Maple Tahini Dressing and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.

Serves 4.

Printer-friendly recipe

And be sure to check out Kalyn Denny's round-up of asparagus recipes at BlogHer- Food Bloggers Answer: What's Your Favorite Way to Cook Asparagus?