The Asparagus Bed

This most prized and elegant of all the world’s vegetables is actually the young shoot of a perennial plant that appears in the first warm wet days of spring. Thick, thin, green, violet, white, tame, or wild—we enjoy asparagus either raw or cooked until just slightly limp. We adore them bright green and crisp for dipping in sauces. We cook them a little more for first courses and accompaniments and drizzle them with butter, vinaigrette, or hollandaise.