Our warm and sultry weather continues for another day. Rich had an after-work thing for work at the Mid-America Club upstairs from his office in the AON Tower yesterday; so his mom and I chilled with left over Lasagna a la Francaise from the freezer. Today, I had a late morning meeting downtown, but got home in time to start the Thai Pork Stew for dinner and plant the herbs and tomatos we picked up on Monday.
We had also picked up some asparagus on Monday, which I blanched yesterday and put back in the fridge to chill so we could have it as a salad with the stew tonight. It’s dead simple, and I think the sesame oil and rice vinegar dressing goes well with the peanuty goodness of the stew. BTW – I will probably re-post the stew recipe tomorrow – I’ve made a few notes and tweaks to the original and think it’s even better. Here’s the asparagus recipe 
(from Southern Living, March 2003):
INGREDIENTS
•1-1/2 to 2 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed (I also peel it)
•2 tbsp plus 2 tsp dark sesame oil
•4tsp rice vinegar
•4 tsp soy sauce
•1 tsp sugar
•1 tbsp sesame seeds
Cook asparagus in boiling water about 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Plunge asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain, cover, and chill.
Whisk together sesame oil and next 3 ingredients. Chill at least 2 hours.
Arrange asparagus on a serving dish; spoon dressing evenly over top.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.