Tidewater Kitchen and blanch in boiling water just until tender-crisp, about 1-1/2 minutes. Place drained asparagus in a shallow dish. Arrange parsley and next 4 ingredients over asparagus; set aside. Combine oil and next 9 ingredients in a jar with a lid. Cover tightly and shake vigorously. Pour marinade over asparagus. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Line plates with lettuce leaves. Remove asparagus-olive mixture from marinade; arrange on lettuce. Place sliced tomatoes on top and serve. ASPARAGUS SOUP I think you will find this soup’s texture creamy enough with a simple chicken stock enhanced by the slightest amount of light cream, but you could replace part of the stock with skim or regular milk. This might require a bit more seasoning, so be sure to check it before serving if you decide to do this. Stock: Tough ends of 3 cups fresh asparagus 5 cups chicken broth Sea salt and freshly ground pepper Soup: 3 T. unsalted butter 3 T. f lour 5 cups asparagus stock 1 cup cut fresh asparagus tips 1 cup light cream Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

To make the stock, combine the chicken stock in a large saucepan with the tough ends of the asparagus, cut into large pieces. Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered tightly, for about 30 minutes. Discard stalks and set the stock aside. To prepare the soup, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the f lour, stirring constantly and cooking the roux for about 3 minutes without letting it brown. Add the asparagus stock and asparagus tips and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 6 minutes. Add the cream and check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately. A longtime resident of Oxford, Pamela Meredith-Doyle, formerly Denver’s NBC Channel 9 Children’s Chef, now teaches both adult and children’s cooking classes on the south shore of Massachusetts. For more of Pam’s recipes, visit the Story Archive tab at tidewatertimes.com.

162