Fresh ideas for dinner can spring from so many places: the pages of a new cookbook or food magazine, a funny TikTok or instructional video on Instagram or (among my favorite sources for inspiration) websites like Food 52, Serious Eats or Smitten Kitchen.
It also can depend on what you happen to stumble upon while grocery shopping.
This week’s recipe hinges on what I was thrilled to find on sale in my local produce section: big bunches of spring asparagus priced at just $1.99 a pound.
I couldn’t resist swooping up two bundles of the tender spring veggie along with a couple bunches of spring onion and two fat cucumbers that were one sale for 99 cents. It’s so easy to get excited about green foods in the spring — especially when they’re so affordable — and I knew I’d figure out how to best put them to good use in my kitchen.
I ended up with this easy stir-fry.
Lots of recipes calls for steaming, blanching or roasting asparagus, and you can also sauté it. Here, the stalks are diagonally cut into bite-sized pieces and then cooked hot and fast, gently blistered, in a skillet with oil and salt. Then, they’re tossed in a pan with ground pork that’s been cooked with Asian aromatics — garlic, ginger and green onion — along with soy sauce and Shaoxing wine.
It was incredibly quick, and really hit the spot when paired with a super-simple (and spicy) cucumber salad that also took just minutes to throw together. Both include the gentle heat of chili crisp, which you can easily omit if appealing to tamer taste buds.
When choosing asparagus, look for bright green stalks with tightly closed and compact tips. To keep it fresh in the fridge until cooking, store it upright in a glass or cup with about an inch of water, and cover the tops with a plastic bag.
I generally prefer super-thin asparagus because I believe it’s the most tender, but you can also use thicker spears. Just be sure peel the bottom third after snapping off the knobby ends.
Pork and Asparagus Stir-fry
2-3 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on a diagonal into 1- or 2-inch pieces
Kosher salt
1 pound ground pork
6 scallions, white and pale green parts only, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or medium-dry cooking sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1-2 teaspoons chili crisp, plus additional for serving
Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving, optional
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet on high.
Once the pan is hot (oil will be lightly smoking), add half of the asparagus and a couple pinches of salt and cook, tossing only once or twice so the pieces have a chance to blister, until crisp-tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
Transfer asparagus to a plate. Add another teaspoons olive oil to skillet (no need to wipe it out) and repeat with remaining asparagus.
Reduce heat to medium-high. Add remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to skillet, then add ground pork, spreading it out in an even layer.
Season with a couple pinches of salt and cook, undisturbed, until meat begins to brown underneath, about 2 minutes.
Break up meat with a wooden spoon and add chopped scallions, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until pork is crisp and mixture is very fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add wine or sherry, soy sauce and chili crisp, and return asparagus to skillet. Cook, turning to coat with pork mixture, until heated through, about 1 minute.
Transfer stir-fry to a platter or large shallow bowl and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve with rice and additional chili crisp, if desired, garnished with chopped cilantro.
Serves 4.
— adapted from bonappetit.com
For cucumber salad
For a less spicy salad, omit the chili crisp.
1 pound cucumbers, sliced very thin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 heaping teaspoon chili crisp
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
Red chili pepper flakes, for garnish
In a medium bowl, toss cucumber and salt. Let them sit for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the dressing.
In a large serving bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, chili crisp, garlic, ginger, sugar and sesame seeds. Set aside.
Rinse cucumber slices with cool water in a colander two or three times to remove the salt, then strain into a bowl. Pat dry with paper towels.
Pour cucumber slices into the bowl with the dressing and toss well to combine. Garnish with sesame seeds and red chili flakes for extra heat.
Serves 4.
— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette