As a private chef, the last thing I want to do on a night off is to cook an elaborate meal. The question that most people ask me is, "What do you make at home?" My answer is always, "Reservations". Seriously. But if I do cook at home, invariably I'll make something that I can cook in five minutes. It will usually be vegetarian, and it will always be organic.

The arrival of spring brings lots of local green vegetables that require very little in the way of preparation - meshing perfectly with the lightness in the air and the desire (not the will, but definitely the desire) to lose some weight and eat better. I've spent the winter indoors making stews and comfort food, eating way too much, working out way too little and loving every minute of slack and gluttony. Now is the time that I want to start shedding some clothes and cleaning out the fridge to make way for the great produce that the East End offers.

Stop by the Green Thumb in Watermill and check out their asparagus. It's usually just been picked that morning, and it's beautiful. Firm, dark green and dark purple, absolutely gorgeous stalks. There's baby spinach, a lighter shade of green with delicate pink roots, chard, and fresh rhubarb - the prettiest and crispest I've ever seen. It helps to know the vegetables grown there are all organic.

If I'm not cooking the asparagus immediately, I'll wrap bunches in a wet paper towel and lay them horizontally on a platter, either outside in the shade or in the fridge. I prefer to leave them outside - it's still relatively cool outside and I believe that once vegetables are refrigerated, there is a miniscule change that takes place and it's probably just my imagination but that's the way it is. I don't think that asparagus should be placed in water like cut flowers and stood upright. Physics tells us that the stalks will absorb the water and the flavor will be diluted and some of the nutrients will be leached out into the water, so I prefer the damp paper (or cloth) towel method of freshening.

With very fresh local asparagus, there's always the chance that they'll be a bit sandy. A few minutes before I'm ready to cook the asparagus, I'll trim all the stalks to the same length- usually about 5 inches or so. For a dinner party, I'll peel the stalks so that the white part shows and the flavor is more delicate, but for me it's not necessary. Then I dunk them in cold water and swish them around a bit.

The next step is to drop them into a pot of boiling salted water. The salt is important to flavor the asparagus and also to help it hold its color. Here's the thing with local asparagus - I ALWAYS boil them in a pot of water instead of steaming them. I really hate sand in my asparagus and this helps.

Asparagus is also one of those vegetables that benefits, nutrition-wise from a little boiling as opposed to sautéing. When you can pick up a stalk with tongs and it's slightly bent, it's time to gently lift the asparagus out of the pot with tongs (instead of dumping them into a colander and taking the sand with the asparagus) and drop them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and refresh them. I like my asparagus to be bright green and slightly crisp, but not crunchy. Now they're ready to eat as is, or to be sautéed in a stir fry, or grilled. Another tip I've picked up along the way is to blanch asparagus before you grill it. If you put asparagus directly on a grill without blanching it tends to dry out and you'll lose some of the nutrients.

With seasonal, local vegetables, and just about everything else, simpler is better. Olive oil, some kosher salt and you have a meal. One of my favorites is sautéing whole blanched stalks with in a pan that's been seasoned with a crushed garlic clove and a little olive oil. Heat a pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil (not extra virgin), and let it get very hot. Peel and smack a clove of garlic with the flat of a knife or the heel of your hand and swirl it around the hot pan for a few moments to let the clove release some of its oil. Remove the garlic, wipe out some of the olive oil if you like, and throw in some asparagus that's been wiped dry of water or the oil will spatter. Sear the asparagus for a minute or two, tossing, add some kosher salt and put it on a plate. Grate some Parmigiano cheese onto the asparagus and pick it up with your fingers and enjoy.

Asparagus is also great with mushrooms. Another one of my favorites is to slice the blanched stalks on the diagonal into one inch pieces and sauté them in a pan with some Portobello mushroom caps that have been peeled and sliced into the same size pieces as the asparagus. Saute in a little olive oil and garlic until the mushrooms start to break down and release some liquid, again with the kosher salt. I'll put this into a pasta bowl and crumble a few pieces of goat cheese on top and let it warm from the heat of the vegetables, and there's another great veggie meal.

If you want to get really crazy, sauté some cubed firm tofu in a hot pan with a little olive oil scented with garlic until crispy. Remove the tofu and put it on a plate, then add some blanched one-inch pieces of asparagus, some shitake or Portobello slices and sauté as in the previous recipe. Throw in some organic tamari, a spritz of fresh lemon and put the tofu back into the pan to mix with the veggies and reheat. Put this all in a pasta bowl and sprinkle some scallions on top if you like scallions. Sometimes I'll have this with brown rice, sometimes with a roast sweet potato, or sometimes I'll skip the carbs and have some dark chocolate when I'm done. (I gotta have something.)

The other great thing to know about asparagus is that it's got less than 4 calories a stalk, and its fat free. You can eat as much as you want. We've known for a while now that it's a great source of folic acid, but less commonly known facts are that it's a great source of potassium, it's good for your heart, it's a diuretic, and it has lots of fiber. Fresh, organic asparagus is hands down the healthiest thing you can put into your body.

Happy Eating!