Asparagus: from an exclusive aristocrat vegetable to an affordable superfood

Asparagus

If you haven’t tried asparagus yet, now is the time: the season is in full swing. From the end of April to the end of June, you can enjoy this simple and delicious vegetable. You can also cook asparagus dishes at home. In this article, we will tell you how to do it and with what sauce it is better to serve it.

Today, asparagus seems to many to be an exotic and inaccessible product. Before the revolution, it was widespread, and after that it was undeservedly forgotten. In fact, asparagus is a superfood with a delicate sweet taste and benefits.

In terms of the content of valuable substances, asparagus shoots are similar to microgreens: they contain a lot of minerals, vitamins and fiber. Eating asparagus helps strengthen the nervous system and immunity, reduce blood pressure and improve digestion.

The color of asparagus depends on the growing conditions. If asparagus grows in the light, it will be green, if under a layer of soil without access to light — white, and if it sometimes sees light — purple.

How to prepare asparagus?

Before adding asparagus to a dish or heat-treating it, thick stalks must be prepared.

Remove the lower part of the stem from the green vegetable. Take the green stem at the base and try to break it. If it bends but doesn’t break, slide your fingers up. That’s how you’ll find the right place. You don’t need to do anything else with green asparagus.

The tips of the white asparagus are cut off, and the stem itself is peeled with a vegetable peeler to the upper kidney. Purple asparagus does not need to be cleaned.

Is it possible to eat asparagus raw?

Of course, yes. Like many other vegetables, asparagus can be eaten both raw and cooked. Young tender shoots and mini asparagus are especially good raw in salads or with thick sauces. It does not need to be cleaned, just cut off the very bottom. Cooked asparagus can be served both cold — in snacks, and hot — as an independent dish.

How to cook asparagus deliciously?

It is important to remember that asparagus cannot be thermally processed for a long time.It remains delicious as long as it retains elasticity. There are many ways to cook asparagus:

  • Blanching: boil a small amount of water in a high narrow saucepan, add salt. Immerse the green asparagus so that only the stems are in the water. White and purple asparagus can be dipped into boiling water entirely. Cook on low heat for 2-4 minutes (depending on the thickness of the stems), then immediately transfer to ice water — the asparagus will remain crispy and retain its color.
  • Butter addition: melt the butter over low heat, put the asparagus and cook, shaking the pan, for no longer than 3-4 minutes.
  • Baking: marinate the asparagus in olive oil and place in a preheated 200 °C oven for 4-5 minutes.
  • Toasting: marinate the asparagus in oil and brown in a frying pan or grill.

What sauces are suitable for asparagus?

Asparagus is a delicious dish without additives, but with the right sauce it gets even better. The sauce should emphasize the delicate natural taste of this vegetable. We offer several sauce options that go well with asparagus:

  • homemade mayonnaise;
  • mustard sauce, which is prepared on the basis of mayonnaise with the addition of various types of mustard;
  • hollandaise sauce made of yolks and butter;
  • walnut or hazelnut sauce with herbs and garlic;
  • any cheese sauce;
  • melted salted butter (served with hot asparagus).