Courtesy Jan Roberts DominguezTake full advantage of spring asparagus while you can.

At those simple moments in life when the world seems absolutely right with itself — and you feel lucky to be along for the ride — a funny little thing happens inside your brain. In the blink of an eye, that momentary blip of happiness you get from rediscovering a tulip or puppy or child at play is anchored to a bit of gray matter, and you become a better person in the process.

But most of us move past such tiny epiphanies far too quickly. We forget that it’s the sum of all those wonderful little vignettes that make us whole.

Which, of course, is where asparagus comes in. Certainly, in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t as important as world peace. But sitting down to a plate of lightly steamed young asparagus napped in a lemon-butter sauce can most definitely put a rosy spin on things. And who’s to say that the world wouldn’t be a better place if more people did exactly that more often? (Particularly this time of year, when the quality of asparagus is so high and requires so little effort on your part.)

Indeed, why tinker with perfection? As long as it’s fresh and sweet, the only treatment asparagus needs is a few tenderizing minutes in boiling water and — at most — a simple, well-seasoned sauce or vinaigrette.

You can alter this approach once the season is past its prime and you aren’t in it so much for the art as the flavor. That’s when you get cream of asparagus soup. But for now, the fate of your evening meal — and just maybe the world — is in your hands. So don’t blow it. Serve asparagus.

Basic preparation recommendations for awesome asparagus:

• Peel, don’t pinch: Although it is traditional to bend the lower portion of each asparagus stalk until it snaps into edible and inedible portions, it isn’t necessary and wastes quite a bit of perfectly good stalk. Better to take a vegetable peeler or paring knife and, beginning about 3 inches from the tip, gently peel down to the base.

With this method, much less of the stalk will have to be cut away; plus, you’ll find the entire vegetable cooks more evenly.

• Blanch it: Peeled stalks won’t need special asparagus cookers that hold the vegetable upright, since the stalks cook evenly from tip to base. Fill a large pot or wide frying pan three-quarters full of water, add a teaspoon of salt per quart of water, and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus (either whole stalks, or cut into desired lengths), cover just until the water begins to boil again, then remove the lid. Reduce the heat and cook for 4 minutes, then begin testing for doneness. Although it’s a matter of taste, I consider that asparagus is done just when it’s easily pierced by a sharp knife.

• Cool it: If you’re not using the asparagus immediately, then plunge it into cold water to stop the cooking and set the color. Remove from water with a slotted spoon to a clean towel on a rack; cover and refrigerate until needed. Use this method to blanch asparagus before adding to stir-fry dishes.

— Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis food writer, cookbook author and artist. Contact: janrd@proaxis.com.