It’s not officially spring until the asparagus stalks rear their precious little heads. Finally, the farmer’s market is overflowing with bunches of them charmingly tied up with twine.

There’s a myriad of ways to cook and serve asparagus: you can roast it, grill it, saute it, stir-fry it, you can serve it with a poached or fried egg on top. You can bake it in a frittata or a quiche or wrap it in prosciutto or puff pastry. You can blanch it and serve it as a crudite or with hollandaise, or you can puree it into a soup. However you consume it, one thing is certain: it will make your pee stink like rotten eggs.

I incorporated my asparagus into a vibrant spring panzanella bursting with fresh lemon juice and basil and topped off with generous shavings of sharp parmesan cheese.

I consulted numerous recipes, all but one of which advised toasting day-old bread (making croutons, if you will), and so that’s what I did, but may I boldly suggest not toasting the bread? It’s an issue of personal preference, of course, but I think I’d actually prefer my panzanella bread untoasted so that it’s softer. If it’s day-old anyway, it’ll already have a barrier up against absorbing too much dressing and becoming soggy. If you skip the toasting, you also skip the extra butter and cheese in this recipe, and you eliminate a step, and wuhoo! for that.

As I was writing up this recipe, I realized there are a lot of ingredients “to taste,” but that makes sense since you’re essentially dressing a salad, and we all know that, regardless of what’s deemed the proper ratio, some people like their salads drenched and others like them barely coated, some people like more oil, others more acid.

Happy official spring, everyone!

Spring Panzanella, adapted from Michael Chiarello

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb medium asparagus
• 1 cup packed basil leaves
• 4 to 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 to 2 lemons
• large handful baby spinach
• wedge parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup finely grated, more for shaving onto the salad
• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
• 6 cups crust-free cubed day-old bread
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Make the croutons. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat and cook until it foams. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat with the butter. Transfer the bread to a baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with the 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese and toss again while warm to melt the cheese. Bake, stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside but still soft within, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. Store in an airtight container if not using immediately.
2. Holding an asparagus spear in both hands, bend the spear until it breaks naturally at the point where the spear becomes tough. Using the first spear as a guide by lining its tip up with the tips of the other spears, cut the tough ends off the rest of the asparagus spears. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and blanch the asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. Drain and shock in a bowl of ice water. Remove, pat dry, and cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces.
3. Boil the frozen peas 2 to 3 minutes, until bright green and just cooked, and shock them in a bowl of ice water as well. Remove, pat dry, and set aside.
4. Make pesto by combining the cup of packed basil, 3 Tbsp of the olive oil, the juice from half of the lemon, and salt and pepper to taste in a food processor. Alternatively, chop the basil fine, transfer to a small bowl, and add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
5. Combine the croutons, asparagus, and peas in a large bowl. Toss with the pesto and season with salt and pepper.
6. In another bowl, toss the spinach with the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste, then add it to the large bowl, and toss.
7. When ready to serve, sprinkle with additional lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste, and top with shaved parmesan.