“From the SCCC Kitchen” offers Daily Gazette readers tastes from Schenectady County Community College’s nationally accredited American Culinary Federation culinary arts program. Recipes selected by SCCC instructors can easily be prepared at home. Today, adjunct professor Jackie Baldwin offers the first of four summer side orders, Asparagus with Saffron Vinaigrette.

Asparagus may be overlooked when people choose vegetables for dinner plates or parties. Carrots, green beans or snow peas might get preferential treatment.

“I think it’s partly because it’s expensive,” said Jackie Baldwin. “It’s a little more expensive per pound than carrots.”

Baldwin does not overlook — or overcook — the green stalks. Her Asparagus with Saffron Vinaigrette may cost home chefs a little more money, but choosing the vegetables will save folks a little time in the kitchen.

“It’s one of the easiest vegetables to prepare,” Baldwin said. “It takes about a minute and a half to two minutes to just steam. This dish here, they’re steamed and then shocked in cold water and tossed in a saffron-orange vinaigrette.”The cold water stops the cooking process.

“All you’re really looking to achieve is to cook the asparagus until its fork-tender, and then shock it so it doesn’t have carryover cooking so it’s overcooked,” Baldwin said. “You want to stop the cooking process immediately.”

Baldwin likes the dish because asparagus is one of her favorite foods. “And it’s such a beautiful presentation,” she said, noting that the dish is dressed up with zest taken from the orange peels.

“So you use the whole orange,” she said. Or in this case, two oranges.

Asparagus with Saffron Vinaigrette

Zest of two oranges for garnish

Juice of 2 oranges

1 teaspoon saffron

1 tablespoon hot water

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon whole grain

mustard

1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 bundle asparagus

Ice water bath

Zest oranges before juicing, and set aside covered for garnish.

Soak saffron threads in 1 tablespoon of hot water to bloom for 5 minutes. Add orange juice, lemon juice and mustard, slowly whisk in oil to emulsify.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Note: Dressing may need to be whisked before coating asparagus.

Cut asparagus stalks on an angle about 2⁄3 of the way down from the top and steam for 1 to 2 minutes depending on size.

Asparagus cooks quickly — so don’t walk away from it. Remove from pan and drop into the ice water bath to stop the cooking process.

Drain and carefully toss with vinaigrette. Arrange the asparagus on a platter and pour over remaining vinaigrette.

Garnish with orange zest.

Serves 4.