Asparagus - sign of better weather

Asparagus not only is a pleasant and affordable harbinger of spring, it also does great things for a healthy diet.

Asparagus is extremely low in calories and is packed with vitamins. When buying asparagus, choose stalks with dry, tight tips and firm, unwrinkled stalks. And fat stalks don't necessarily mean tough asparagus. Older plants produce thicker spears, but they can be just as tender and flavorful as thin ones.

It's more important to select spears that have a uniform thickness so they cook at the same rate.

Asparagus loses its vitamins and sugars quickly when left at room temperature and is best eaten the day it is purchased. To keep asparagus for longer, treat it as you would a bouquet of flowers by cutting off a bit of the woody base and standing the bunch in an inch of water in a container in the refrigerator.

To preserve nutrients and flavor, don't boil asparagus. Better is to steam the stalks for 5 minutes. Other options are to grill them for 2 minutes per side, stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or microwave in a covered, vented container with 1/4 cup of water on high for 4 to 6 minutes.

Cooking asparagus at high heat in the oven concentrates its flavors and yields stalks that are delicately wilted and beautifully browned.

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