When it comes to asparagus, I typically prefer grilling or roasting whole spears because the high heat caramelizes them, bringing their natural sweetness to the forefront.

But Katie Reicher, executive chef of pioneering Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, has taught me another method, one with impeccable timing that renders the spears yielding yet not droopy, and tender but with still a little bite.

Her way is pan-steaming, complete with a genius move — blitzing the tough asparagus ends that are usually discarded with a little water in a blender instead to create the cooking liquid. It gets poured into a ripping hot pan with the asparagus, where it steams and simmers before evaporating and leaving them perfectly done.

Not only are you not wasting any part of the pricey asparagus this way, but you’re imparting more flavor, too.

This is how she cooks them in her recipe for “Asparagus with Cannellini Beans, Creamy Tarragon Vinaigrette & Pickled Mustard Seeds.”

It’s from her new cookbook, “Seasons of Greens” (Weldon Owen), of which I received a review copy.

It’s a collection of more than 120 recipes from the iconic restaurant at Fort Mason that opened in 1979 and set the stage for just how exciting and flavorful vegetarian cooking could be.

Throughout its history, the restaurant has had the distinction of being helmed only by women chefs, too. Reicher, who studied at Cornell University and the Culinary Institute of America, joined Greens in 2015 and worked her way up before being named executive chef in 2020.

Lavishly photographed by Bay Area photographer Erin Scott, the book tempts with recipes such as “Chanterelle Shumai with Mirin Sauce,” “Pierogi with Peas & Feta,” “Root Vegetable Biryani,” and “Vegan Lemon Mousse with Cherry Compote.”

Because the asparagus cook so quickly — in all of about 4 minutes — you’ll want to prepare the accompaniments first to have them at the ready.

That includes cooking the cannellini beans. Yes, you can use rinsed, canned beans to save time. But cooking them from dried will yield more flavorful ones.

It’s amusing that Reicher calls herself a mustard-hater, because mustard definitely plays a role in this dish, and deliciously so.

To make the pickled mustard seeds, simply simmer yellow mustard seeds in a small saucepan with water, white or golden balsamic vinegar, sugar, and salt. The mixture is done when it turns syrupy. As it cools, it will thicken even more, attaining the viscosity of honey. The taste? Tangy and candied.

The vinaigrette is a creamy concoction Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, Champagne vinegar, olive oil, sour cream, mayonnaise, and fresh tarragon for a subtle anise note.

Arrange the cooked asparagus on a platter, spoon over the cannellini beans, followed by the vinaigrette, and finally, with dollops of the pickled mustard seeds.

It’s a great way to dress up asparagus, with the beans adding more substance, the vinaigrette providing a velvety richness, and the pickled mustard seeds offering up a sweet-tangy accent taste like that of honey mustard.

You will likely have leftover vinaigrette and pickled mustard seeds. The former would be awesome spooned over grilled or poached shrimp, drizzled over green beans, or for dunking artichokes leaves into. The latter will jazz up any other kind of salad or sandwich.

Asparagus with Cannellini Beans, Creamy Tarragon Vinaigrette & Pickled Mustard Seeds

(Serves 4)

1 bunch asparagus

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard

1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons sour cream

1/4 cup prepared mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans, gigante beans or corona beans

Pickled Mustard Seeds (recipe below)

Trim the bottom 2 to 3 inches of the asparagus and place the trimmed bottoms in a blender pitcher. Add the water and a pinch of salt and blend on high until completely smooth. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into another container. Set aside.

Next, make the vinaigrette by combining the tarragon, mustards, vinegar, olive oil, sour cream, mayonnaise, and salt together in a bowl. Stir to combine and adjust the salt to taste.

When you’re ready to cook the asparagus, heat a large skillet over high-heat. Allow the skillet to preheat for at least 5 minutes until very hot. Add the asparagus stalks and then quickly add the reserved asparagus juice to create steam. Cook the asparagus until it is just tender, or until the asparagus liquid has nearly evaporated, about 4 minutes.

Remove the asparagus from the heat and place on a serving platter. Top with cannellini beans, then drizzle generously with the vinaigrette and Pickled Mustard Seeds, around the plate. You can also toss the beans with the vinaigrette and mustard seeds and spoon everything over the asparagus. Serve immediately.

Pickled Mustard Seeds

(Yields 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup golden or white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon salt

Add all the ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking the mustard seeds until most of the liquid has evaporated and the remaining liquid starts to become syrupy, and forms many small bubbles, about 30 to 40 minutes. Do not rush this process! The mustard seeds will become plump and will burst like caviar after simmering for a while. The mustard seeds should not be cooked dry or else the sugar will burn and get sticky.

Once the liquid is syrupy, remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally as it cools. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Adapted from “Seasons of Greens” by Katie Reicher

More Asparagus Recipes to Enjoy: Asparagus and Spring Allium Strata

And: Asparagus and Scrambled Egg Scattered Sushi

And: Spicy Ground Pork with Ginger, Lime, Peppers, and Asparagus

And: Shaved Asparagus Salad with Asparagus Buttermilk Dressing and Pickled Asparagus Tips

And: Asparagus Fry with Mustard Seeds and Coconut

And: Asparagus Pastry Straws

And: Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon

And: Simmered Asparagus with Orange and Mint

And: Roasted Asparagus Soup with Pistachio Cream