If there is one universally loved vegetable it seems to be asparagus. Even the fussy eaters in my life, or the “no vegetables for me please” freaks, will eat asparagus. I know people who eat it several times a week. Even when it’s off season, expensive and not that great.

So now that the fat young spears are in season here in California, cheap, and really great I thought the time was right to honor it with this weeks Market Matters post from the Hollywood Farmers Market.

I love asparagus. But not all asparagus is the same. There are the very thin types. Often called baby asparagus. Which is mostly a misnomer because the thin spears are usually from older plants and are produced further out from the center of the plant.

Thin asparagus is usually a bit stringier.  It has an earthier, more pronounced asparagus flavor in my opinion too. This does not mean it is not as good as fat asparagus. In fact many people prefer this type. I would say fat or thin are pretty much equally good. If handled properly.  Fat spears almost always need to be peeled. Thick asparagus seems to concentrate its fibers in the skin. Peeling may be necessary because in some methods of cooking they can become a mushy mess by the time they have cooked enough to get the skin tender.

The holidays. They are here– and they are starting right now. To many of us that means holiday cooking, baking and celebrating! But that's not necessarily so with all of us.

Now I love cooking during the holidays. But I know for a fact not everyone does. And for those people who prefer not to cook during the holidays– I have catfish. Whenever I think about holiday foods (and not cooking) I always think of catfish! I am sure you do too. Right?

Hmmm… I can see quite a few of you wrinkling your brows in disbelief. Maybe you think Sup! sipped a little too much witches brew preparing for the advent of these holidays. Which may or may not be the case, but let me explain "anyhows", as they say south of the M-D line.

You may already realize that I spent a few years in the southern part of ‘these United States”. Southerners have wacky food traditions (and I mean that with the greatest respect!) It seems these traditions always get started by someone’s Great Aunt Delores and then somehow they get incorporated into the culinary lives of all kinds of unrelated folks. I mean think about that cake with the little plastic baby baked inside. And speaking of cake have you ever tried Coca-Cola cake? Now who do you think thought up those recipes? Why it was somebody’s Great Aunt Delores of course!

I know you know you know this. But there is more than one kind of basil in this world.

So it makes sense that certain varieties might suit themselves better in certain situations or flavor combinations.

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is by far the most common variety. It is widely recognized as the standard, especially in Italian cooking. It’s big, bold and flavorful. Well deserving of all the attention it receives.

But genius sometime lies in the details. And I know you want to be a genius, right? I mean "always aim for the left field bleachers" I always say. Actually I never say that. I hate baseball metaphors. But I am being editorially lazy and relying on standard catch-phrases. Shame on me!

Anyway, lose the lazy and familiarize yourself with other varieties of basil as well. We may be talking nuance here, and subtlety is not an attribute commonly attached to basil. But nonetheless there are subtle differences between the varieties. Some of these Ocimum cousins have gotten themselves entrenched in cuisines the entire world over. So we may need to take a vitual world tour to learn all we need to know.

Another gorgeous spring Sunday and I fully enjoyed my trip down the hill to the Hollywood Farmers Market.

If you know SippitySup at all then you know Sundays are reserved for Market Matters. And my market is full of all kinds of things that matter to me. That’s because we are smack dab in the middle of spring and there are so many wonderful vegetal choices.

So drum roll please…. I chose Fava Beans.

Which is practically a springtime "well, duh". I mean we wait all year for these things don’t we?

They are especially good right now. They are plentiful and relatively cheap, or at least as cheap as they get. Most of the pods are still quite young so you know they hold dainty little favas.  Sure the littler they are, the more work they can be. Though you don't always have to peel the little guys, I usually do anyway.

But, the little guys just taste better. The starches have not developed and they are a burst of bright green fava-i-ness that just makes me want to cry!

Also, what you have heard is true. There is no getting around it. Favas are a lot of work.

If there is one universally loved vegetable it seems to be asparagus. Even the fussy eaters in my life, or the “no vegetables for me please” freaks, will eat asparagus. I know people who eat it several times a week. Even when it’s off season, expensive and not that great.

So now that it is in season, cheap, and really great I thought the time was right to honor it with this weeks Market Matters post from the Hollywood Farmers Market.

I love asparagus. But not all asparagus is the same. There are the very thin types. Often called baby asparagus. Which is misnomer because the thin spears are usually from older plants and are produced further out from the center of the plant.

Thin asparagus is usually a bit stringier.  It has an earthier, more pronounced flavor in my opinion too. This does not mean it is not as good as fat asparagus. In fact many people prefer this type. I would say fat or thin are pretty much equally good. If handled properly.