Heading north along the coastal road famously known as Route 1 is an unforgettable experience, especially when the sun shines on light green rolling hills covered with orange poppies and purple lupins, and the winding road is clear. The spectacular view all the way to the horizon of the Pacific Ocean can take your breath away. That trip from my twenties is still one of my most memorable, not just because the three of us (my boyfriend Michael, our good friend Tim, and I) drove it in a VW van—which is to say slowly— from San Francisco through Oregon to the San Juan Islands in Washington State. The most exciting part of the trip for me, the food nerd, was when I learned how to recognize and pick wild asparagus. If you haven’t already planned a road trip for this year, it’s time, and the Pacific Northwest is waiting for you.

Our first overnight stop was Mendocino. At the local fish market we bought fresh abalone and at the campsite we sliced, pounded, and cooked it in a little butter until lightly golden. I could hardly wait to get it out of the pan, threw it on to a bun with a slice of tomato and washed it down with a local brew—a spectacular start to our trip.

The California coastline is of course known for its beauty, but once we got into Oregon the scenery was even more stunning. Waves crashed onto huge multiple rock formations at one vista point, and half a mile up the road in Coos Bay mist clung to the cliffs as the flat sandy beach continued on as far as the eye could see. Continuing up through Oregon, we crossed the Washington state line heading for the San Juan Islands to visit our friends River and Leif. If you have never been to these islands, I highly recommend them. Time just slows down like a throwback to lazy summer days as soon as you board the ferry. On the short trip to Orcas Island, I sat down at a table covered with an unfinished jigsaw puzzle and immediately got drawn in, looking for the one elusive piece. The island was green and lush from the winter rains and the sun had just started to bring out the wildflowers. After lunch, our friends took us for a walk through the meadows behind their cabin. River pointed out spears of asparagus hiding beneath grasses, clover, and last year’s dead asparagus stalks; I would have never noticed them growing there. They need a little sun to start growing tall enough to have an adequate sized stalk; on the other hand a full day of sun would kill them. She explained that pinching the spears encourages more growth, and since they grow pretty quickly it is easy to get a good crop. I was not much of a fan of asparagus then but I loved the idea of picking it from the back garden. We picked a basketful and headed back to the cabin. Steaming the asparagus took just a few minutes, as it was so fresh. Robin tossed it with a few other wild herbs she had gathered, and we sat down to our foraged feast. That did it for me; these days I look forward to early spring with asparagus at its sweetest, and that time is now.

I am not a big fan of recipes that take only ten minutes to make because usually they don’t taste as good as they look. This is an exception: salty, crunchy, chewy, and satisfying to the last bite.

Adapted from Ali Slagle @ NYT

Ingredients:

• 1 cup orzo pasta

• 1 bunch of asparagus about 1 lb.

• 4 tablespoons of lemon juice about 1 lemon

• 1 garlic clove minced

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ panko breadcrumbs

• ¼ cup parmesan

• Finely chopped fresh parsley to sprinkle on top

Bring a medium saucepan to a boil with about 3 cups salted water.

Snap the ends off the asparagus and cut into ¼” diagonal pieces.

When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta, turn the heat down to medium, and cook for five minutes and then add the asparagus and cook for another 2 minutes. While the pasta and asparagus are cooking, juice the lemon and add it to a large bowl with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper. Drain the pasta/asparagus mixture and toss into the bowl with the dressing.

Add the last tablespoon of olive oil to a warm medium-sized sauté pan along with the minced garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add the breadcrumbs and stir until the breadcrumbs turn golden, about 3 minutes. Add to the pasta bowl along with grated parmesan and chopped parsley and toss.

You can serve this warm or at room temperature. It is best eaten the day it is made, as the breadcrumbs will not stay crunchy.

Serves 2 as a main dish — 4 as a side dish.