I know not everyone is as crazy about asparagus as our family is, but this has recently become our favorite way to serve it.  I wanted share not only the recipe, but the story behind this George Washington Asparagus Ragoo. (note:  “ragoo” is an antiquated spelling of the word ragout)

Every year, we watch for the first signs of asparagus peeking up from the edges of our garden.  On particularly nice spring days, you can go out in the morning and find them just starting to poke out of the ground, and by night they are ready to pick!

When I don’t have enough in a picking to make a meal, I place them unwashed in a glass of water and put them in the refrigerator.  Every day, I gather a few more until I have a meal’s worth.

This ragoo recipe helps stretch the asparagus and makes a nice hearty side dish.  You could use it as a main dish and even add hamburger to it if you were feeling particularly adventurous!

So, how did I come across this recipe and why is it “George Washington Style”?

While in D.C. this past April, we visited Mount Vernon, George Washington’s country home.  This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.  The grounds are gorgeous, the home is amazing, and the museum nearby is wonderfully informative.

In the museum was a display based on the cooking of Martha Washington, and you could pick up recipes used by the Washingtons.  Asparagus Ragoo was one of these recipes.  Apparently, George Washington like asparagus as much as we do!

I did modify the recipe just a bit to use ingredients we typically have on hand.  I don’t buy endives, so I wasn’t going to make this with endives, and I decided to use Romaine instead of Bibb or Boston lettuce because I buy Romaine on a regularly basis.  (All you real foodies can commence shuddering, as if my photo of the ragoo on a paper plate wasn’t offensive enough!)

Asparagus Ragoo {George Washington Style}

3 pounds asparagus, cut into thirds
5 TBSP unsalted butter
1 medium onion
1 Romaine lettuce heart, cored and shredded
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 TBSP all purpose flour
2 c. chicken stock

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil over medium heat.  Add the asparagus, reduce the heat, and simmer until the asparagus is barely tender.  Drain thoroughly, cover and set aside to keep warm.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes until they begin to soften.  Stir in lettuce, salt and pepper and continue booking until the vegetables are tender.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, and stir to blend well.  Gradually add the stock, stirring until it begins to simmer and thickens slightly.

Add the asparagus and heat until warmed.  Serve immediately.

We served this recipe as a side dish.  My husband chose to eat several helpings of this rather than the main dish, and there was still plenty to go around in our family of 9.

Thanks, George!

I have a massive amount of whole wheat pastry flour on hand, so I thought it would be a good idea to make up some whole wheat pancake mix and keep it in the downstairs refrigerator.  I used to do this all the time, but when life gets crazy, homemade mixes are the first thing to go.

You can use regular whole wheat flour, or even white flour in this recipe if you like.

Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
8 c. whole wheat flour (I used pastry flour from Azure Standard)
3/4 c. sugar (I used sucanat from Azure Standard)
2 2/3 c. dry milk powder
7 Tbsp baking powder (I use aluminum-free)
4 tsp salt (I use sea salt)

Mix well and store in refrigerator or freezer. (I store mine is a big plastic container I got years ago at WalMart.)

To make pancakes:

Be sure and label the container!
3 c. mix + 2 eggs & 2 c. water

We make our pancakes on a large griddle.  I try to get 2 pancakes per person made before calling anyone to breakfast, but I’m lucky if this actually happens!

(sorry I don’t have any photos – I’ll try to add them next time we make these!)

Tomorrow, I’ll tell you how I used this recipe and others to put together an easy menu for my mother-in-law to make while we were away this past weekend.

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My husband ran across this recipe for buttermilk biscuits that was apparently Elvis Presley’s favorite biscuit recipe.  They were supposed to be the most amazing buttermilk biscuits ever, so my husband decided to try his hand at them…literally.

The result?  Wow, wow, wow!  These have become a family favorite for special occasions, made exclusively by Daddy and lovingly nicknamed Elvis Biscuits.
(NOTE:  We double the recipe)

Elvis Biscuits

5 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
8 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 envelope yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
½ c lukewarm water
1 c shortening
2 c buttermilk

In a large bowl (VERY large bowl if you are doubling), mix together the flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt.  In a cup, sprinkle yeast over the lukewarm water, stir to dissolve, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.

After the yeast has proofed (gotten bubbly), add the yeast mixture, shortening and buttermilk to the flour mixture.  Mix together well with a wooden spoon or in a mixer with a dough hook (or if you are like my husband, just use your hands!)

Cover loosely with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Knead on a floured surface just a little (do NOT overwork the dough!)  Put dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, when you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425°.  Take out a portion of the dough and roll out to ½” thickness on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin.  Cut with a biscuit cutter (or an upside-down glass, if you don’t own a biscuit cutter) and place biscuits on a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.  Serve nice and hot with lots of butter!
Makes 2 dozen (4 dozen if doubling)
Dough will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.