Dip, deviled eggs and asparagus, asparagus, asparagus

The weather is warmer and gardens are planted; now we wait for the bounty of fresh garden produce. But until I have it from the garden, the fresh asparagus and corn on the cob are pretty good from the market right now. I have included a few asparagus recipes for you today and two other recipes from friends I wanted to pass along to you.

Janet Hitt of Jackson loves to make special treats for her friends at the Scott City Senior Center, where she works. This recipe was a big hit when she took it to share. She liked it so much she wanted me to pass it along to you.

Corn Dip

2 cans MexiCorn, drained

2 (4-ounce) cans green chilies, drained

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients together and bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees until piping hot and bubbling. Serve with corn tortilla chips.

Bacon and Cheddar Deviled Eggs

12 hard-cooked eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

2 tablespoons finely shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon honey mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Slice eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks and set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks. Stir in the mayonnaise, bacon, cheese, mustard and pepper. Spoon or pipe mixture into egg whites. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 2 dozen. Note: As a substitute for honey mustard, combine 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard and 1 1/2 teaspoons honey.

Asparagus and Potato Toss

2 bacon strips chopped

2 tablespoons butter

4 fingerling potatoes sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic minced

1 bunch asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the butter to the remaining bacon fat and add the potato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until crisp on one side, and then toss and cook on the other side until crisp. Add the garlic and asparagus. Season again gently with salt.

Continuously toss until the asparagus are bright green and tender, but still crunchy, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the lemon juice over top. Toss in the reserved bacon and serve warm.

Asparagus Quiche

For the pastry: Makes two 9-inch pie shells

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold water

12 ounces (3 sticks) butter

Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and dust butter with flour. Completely chill butter. In a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt, and pulse to combine. Add the chilled butter and pulse lightly until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add water a little at a time and pulse until the mixture starts to rise up on the sides of the food processor bowl. (You may not need to use all of the water). Turn out the dough on to a clean sheet of plastic wrap, press into a disc, and wrap tightly. Chill completely. Roll out the dough into two circles and line two 9-inch pie tins. Or, you can also use your favorite store-bought pie crust.

For the quiche custard: Makes two 9-inch pies

8 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sour cream

2 cups half and half

1/2 cup heavy cream

Dash ground nutmeg

Whisk the sour cream until smooth. Add the eggs and salt and whisk to combine. Add the half and half, heavy cream and nutmeg and whisk until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve, and keep chilled until you're ready to assemble.

For the quiche filling:

1/4 pound oven-roasted asparagus, cooked and cut into small dice

1 medium onion, finely diced and sautéed

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, grated

1/4 pound Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the cheeses and cooled asparagus and onions together in a bowl. Divide the mixture into two blind baked and cooled pie shells. Using your fingers or a fork, gently spread out the cheese mixture, being careful to evenly distribute it. Slowly pour the custard over, leaving about 1/4 inch of pie crust showing. Be careful not to overfill. Bake the quiches until the center is set and has puffed up a bit, and the tops are lightly browned, about 45 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Fresh Asparagus Salad

Before you read through this recipe and run the other way, I encourage you to have an open mind, be adventurous and try new things. The salad is delicious and worth your while to serve it at your next family gathering.

Salad ingredients:

3 large caracara oranges, navel oranges or blood oranges

8 spears jumbo asparagus

2 heads fennel, washed and thinly sliced

1 bunch pea tendrils, washed (the leaves and vine of the pea plant)

1 bunch arugula leaves, washed

1/4 cup fresh fava beans, shelled, or canned, drained and rinsed

For the dressing:

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Turn the asparagus spears over, and peel more ribbons, until you've used up the asparagus. Save the bottom ends (the pieces that you've been holding on to) for soup or stock. Using a paring knife, cut the top and bottom off each orange. Stand each orange on one of the cut ends and slice off the peel and all traces of the white pith. At this point you can either cut the orange into sections or make wheels. A little of both look great.

Place the asparagus ribbons, sliced fennel, pea tendrils, arugula, and fava beans in a large bowl and gently toss with the dressing. Add the orange pieces and very gently mix together; you want to coat the orange sections with the dressing but be careful not to break them up.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at news@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.