Spargelzeit!

Spargel is German for asparagus. And this is how Spargel usually appears on German plates:

What's that you say? You'd like to learn more about Spargel? I thought so.

• Germans go gaga for white asparagus for the two or so months that it's in season. What the tomato is to Ripley, TN in August, the Spargel is to Germany in May. 
• White asparagus is actually the same variety as green; it's just grown underground to prohibit the chlorophyll (or something science-y like that). 
• Asparagus was brought to Germany by the Romans and has been used as both an aphrodisiac and contraceptive over the years. 
• Germans love Spargel so much that they even shape their (vanilla) ice cream into asparagus spears. 

To celebrate the commencement of Spargelzeit, I made a new asparagus recipe. I followed the recipe here, but it's very simple. After washing and trimming the spears, dunk them in an egg mixture and then in a bread crumbs + parmesan cheese + corn starch mixture. Bake for 12-20 minutes at 400 degrees, depending on how narrow your spears are. I baked these for 12.

After they cooled a bit, I ate them dipped in a mayonnaise + lemon juice + S&P mixture. Delicious! (But if we're being honest, an old piece of leather would be delicious if dipped in mayo and LJ.)

I liked them so much, I decided to do the same treatment to some cauliflower florets. Again, yum! I'm thinking broccoli would also work.

Happy Spargelzeit!