Spring is in the air. And finally, in the markets. Not in full swing; no, but in little pockets of color here and there, amidst the fading pale hues of the winter.  Easter-egg radishes and artichokes like bridal bouquets; peas and spring onions; and finally, swirls of green garlic and fiddlehead ferns that look like plant forms from a different world.

Most striking of them all, I find however, is the asparagus. Have you ever really looked at an asparagus shoot? I mean, really stopped and looked at it? It starts out with a dull green at the bottom, slowly turning into a more sparkling hue before finally tapering off into a graceful spear (That might have been the only time the word ’spear’ was described as ‘graceful’). 

To me, spring begins when the first tender shoots of asparagus hit the farmers’ market. Their mere presence evokes the forthcoming warming of the days, the tangy breezes and the cornucopia of produce.

And so simple to work with-they take no more work than a little steaming, and a toss of olive oil and salt & pepper; and go with nearly everything. My most favorite way to enjoy them is atop slices of toasted pain de campagne topped with a soft-boiled egg.  Occassionally, I like tossing them in a salad or even a stir-fry, but that was about the length of the range. 

So I went for something different this time when I found myself with more bunches of the green goodness than I could possibly consume within a few days (their one bane), and made a little pesto of them.

I love pesto, and while it’s more common in the Gastro Lab during summer, asparagus pesto screamed ’spring!’ with every bite. Besides, it made the wait for basil less lengthy. Pine nuts added a touch of nutty flavor while green chilies gave it a little kick. 

I toasted a handful of pine nuts, and ground them to a fine paste with  asparagus cooked in salted boiling water , a handful of baby spinach, a cup of parmesan cheese,a few cloves of garlic, small green chilies and salt, while drizzling olive oil until it formed a thick paste. After emptying it onto a bowl, I added lemon juice, and adjusted taste with more salt & some crushed black pepper.

Meanwhile, I cooked about a lb. of spaghetti, and tossed it with about a cup of the pesto, dusted it with some parmesan and toasted pine nuts, and topped it all off with a couple of spears I’d saved after cooking the asparagus.

Paired with a little Rose´, it made for a great sunny spring day meal.