How many cows have I tipped? Nada, zero, zilch.
Being from the "Asparagus Capital of the World", most people have a preconceived idea about my childhood. And though it is a very agricultural area of California, I led what I would consider a very normal suburban life. In a house, not a barn mind you! From the suburban life to city life, I've always been borderline obsessed with vegetables, most notably *asparagus*. Must have been something in the water up there. 
There's even a booth at the FM down here (300+ miles away) from Stockton that exclusively sells asparagus. Tips, white, green, jumbo, skinny… you name it. So when I saw these beauties, I grabbed as many as I thought humanly possible to consume in one week (3 bundles! Told you guys I'm crazy about 'em).
Dinner was going to be all about asparagus. To really highlight their versatility I served them two ways in this dish. I prepared a veloute, which is a stock thickened with a roux, and I also served the tender tips raw for a crisp contrast. To compliment the dish, I seared some Magdalena Bay Scallops that just seemed to melt into the veloute. I also diced up some roasted beets that added a touch of earthy sweetness and a much needed pop of color. Beet is my favorite color (Go to Foodrockz for a nice dose of beet color therapy).
Bon appetit guys. Have a great weekend. I know I'm early but since the stock market's closed tomorrow, I have the day off. Yeah! I see some molecular gastronomy in my future.
7 Comments
Jeff D
20 Mar 2008 05:03 pm
Looks great, and I don’t even like beets.
On a tangent, I would not want cows that produce milk eating asparagus. If it makes my pee smell funny, what the heck would it do to the milk?
lilythelily
20 Mar 2008 06:03 pm
[this is good] Excellent!
Elly
20 Mar 2008 07:03 pm
[this is good] julie, once again, this looks fantastic. it’s beautiful! i just posted something with beets today too. i lurve beets.
Food Rockz Man
21 Mar 2008 07:03 am
I’m so jealous that you’ve got asparagus at your farmers market right now. We’re still weeks away here in DC. I miss SoCal! This looks beautiful and sounds delicious. I can’t wait to see the molecular gastronomy you have up your sleeves. Have a great weekend!
Purplesque
22 Mar 2008 12:03 pm
[this is good] That looks gorgeous. I love asparagus!
Now I will try to say Seared Magdalena Scallops with Asparagus Veloute and Chioggia Beets as fast as I can!
Mr.
24 Mar 2008 01:03 pm
Very nice! I don’t see that the beets got in the way of the asparagus velouté in terms of releasing any beet juice… did you have to dry them out first?
Whenever i make something with beets they always release that juice…
Olivia
25 Mar 2008 09:03 am
Julie! This dish looks amazing! So gourmet!
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