Take advantage of asparagus season

Asparagus is in season. Use this opportunity to shop for the freshest local asparagus.

California has three asparagus-producing areas: the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the Central Coast and the San Joaquin Valley. There is an annual asparagus festival being held this year in Stockton from April 27-29.

Asparagus has been used for millennia as a vegetable and medicine. It is low in calories and sodium, and it is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.

At Café Collage, we will use asparagus for practically every dish for the next few weeks, including the recipes below and other dishes.

ASPARAGUS-TOMATO-FRESH MOZZARELLA SALAD

1⁄2 pound fresh organic spinach leaves

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and blanched, see cook's notes

3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1⁄2-inch slices

1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1⁄2-inch slices

Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For dressing:

1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1⁄2 cup local honey

1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar

1⁄4 cup pomegranate molasses

Cook's notes: To blanch asparagus, bring a pot of 8 cups of water to a boil. Add salt. Put the asparagus in the boiling water for five to eight minutes, according to their size. Remove the asparagus while they are still crunchy.

Putting it together

Prepare dressing: In a bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients together and whisk until thickened.

Prepare salad: Toss the spinach with the dressing. Place the spinach first on plates. Top with the asparagus (4 to 6 pieces per serving, according to the size). Top with 3 to 4 tomato slices per serving. Add 2 to 3 mozzarella slices per serving. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a bit of the olive oil.

ASPARAGUS-BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

1 medium butternut squash, cut in half, seeds removed

Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

16 cups chicken broth or water

1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves

2 small potatoes, peeled and quartered

4 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and diced

4 pounds medium-size asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1⁄2 teaspoon curry

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash halves in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until dark brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes. Scoop the squash out of the rind and set aside.

In a large pot, boil the broth or water. In a separate large pot, heat the 1⁄2 cup of olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for eight minutes, or until light brown. Add potatoes, carrots and ginger and cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the asparagus, the baked squash, salt and pepper, to taste, and curry. Gradually add the hot broth or water from the other pot. Cook, covered, over low heat for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Let the soup mixture cool for 15 minutes, then transfer it to a blender. I usually use a Vita Mix, which is very efficient and blends the mixture to a silky, creamy texture. Working in batches, process the soup with a mixer, starting at low speed and progressing to high until you get the desired thickness.

If you use a Vita Mix, the soup is so well blended that there is no need to use a strainer to separate the liquid from the solids.

Serve the soup warm topped with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, croutons or any kind of semi-hard or hard cheese.

Salim Ben Mami is head chef and owner of Café Collage restaurant in Oregon House, Calif. Contact him at 530-692-2555 or ccollage@succeed.net. His website is cafecollage.net.