'TIS THE SEASON: 97 CENT ASPARAGUS!

Doesn't this asparagus look beautiful with my blog background?

There were plenty of clues that spring had sprung outside, but when I realized that asparagus had plunged from it's usual price of around four bucks a pound, down to a mere ninety seven cents a pound at the Kyle HEB, I knew it was time to bring some spring indoors to our dinner table. I ended up doing a riff on a browned butter sauce of Giada's, from her Everyday Italian cookbook. It's such an easy thing to do, I just make it up as I go along now, but I will give you her recipe as a jumping off place.

That beautiful pasta pot that you see simmering on the stove (another gift from my hubby) came in real handy this week, as it also has a steamer insert. I popped the tough ends off the asparagus, brought some water to a boil, steamed the asparagus using the insert until it was just tender, then set it aside. Next I dropped some frozen ravioli (I like a good mushroom ravioli, and always keep some in the freezer) into that same boiling water to cook for a very few minutes. Meanwhile, I was making my brown butter sauce on another burner.

All I did was melt a little butter (the real stuff, no fakes!) in a large saute' pan until it turned a pale golden color. Then you can toss in some fresh herbs (sage is good, and I usually have some in the garden) or nuts (I like pine nuts or walnuts, and keep both of these in the freezer as well) or both. Since I was going to use the sauce on both the ravioli and the asparagus, and wasn't sure how well sage went with asparagus, I just used pine nuts this time. I cooked it a wee bit longer, until the nuts and butter were just starting to lean towards brown (this happens fast, so don't turn your head or it will scorch!) then I seasoned it with a bit of sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and a few gratings of fresh nutmeg (one jar of whole nutmeg will last you forever).

I poured the sauce over the pasta and asparagus, added some freshly grated Parmigiano (again, only the real stuff, not the powder in the green can), et Voila! Simple. Fast. Absolutely delicious. Oh yeah, one more thing. If asparagus is in season, you know what else is, don't you?

Strawberry Shortcake! Yep, tastes like spring to me!

GIADA'S BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

(makes 1/2 cup; serves 4 with a pound of pasta as a first course)

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 fresh sage leaves (torn into pieces) or 1/4 c. fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

In a large, heavy frying pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat until pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add the sage or basil leaves and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and the nutmeg. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and serve.

P.S. A quarter of this recipe is enough for the two of us, if I'm just tossing a little bit of pasta in it. Half the recipe was plenty for both the asparagus and the ravioli, for two people.