Each spring, I look forward to seeing colorful tulips, crocuses and hyacinths in my garden, and the first spears of asparagus pushing up through the soil in. I’ve had an asparagus bed for over 15 years now, and it continues to produce the most delicious, juicy asparagus I’ve ever tasted.
I love to slice the asparagus for salads and omelettes or grill them with lamb but my favorite asparagus recipe is fritters! I prepare a simple batter. add fresh herbs from the garden and shaved Italian cheese-then simply prepare like small pancakes. Fantastic with Prosecco or Cava!
Green Asparagus
I love cooking with the seasons-Summer tomatoes and corn, Autumn apples and pumpkins and strawberries and asparagus in the spring.
Asparagus are available in a range of sizes—from thin, pencil-like spears to larger, fat and juicy stalks—and in green, white, and even purple varieties, asparagus offers versatility both in flavor, color and technique.
From a culinary standpoint, the preparation defines the result. Roasting or grilling asparagus concentrates flavor and enhances natural sweetness. Steaming or boiling asparagus give a delicious, juicy flavor which is great with a vinaigrette or Hollandaise sauce.
Asparagus adapts well to a range of applications: shaved raw in salads, gently steamed, sautéed, or incorporated into composed dishes like omelets, fritters, or even pizzas. I especially like serving asparagus with seafood!
Asparagus is also highly nutritious—naturally low in calories and rich in fiber, folate, and vitamins A, C, and K—making it as beneficial as it is flavorful.
Grilled Asparagus
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients
20 ea. Asparagus, fresh
Kosher Salt for boiling
2 qts Water, boiling
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
t.t. Black pepper
How to cook Asparagus
Step 1
Rinse the asparagus in cool water, snap near the bottom to see where the tender part of the aparagus is. Then cut the harder, bottom inch or so where the asparagus snapped and reserve for fritters or compost.
If the asparagus are thick, peel the stems.
If I'm boiling the asparagus, I tie them gently into a 'bundle' like the photo below.
Step 2
Optional: Blanch the asparagus (bottom section) by simply placing the bundle of tied asparagus into a pot of boiling, salted water. The water should have enough salt so it has a 'sea water' saltiness to the taste. Boil the stems section until tender, about 3 minutes.
Step 3
Plunge the blanched asparagus into a larger pot of boiling salted, water and cook the entire aspargus. The blanched bottom cooks in about the same time as the raw top so it's evenly cooked.
It seems like a lot of work to have two pots of water but the results are amazing!
Cook for about 4 minutes, strain and enjoy as is, with melted butter or Hollandaise Sauce.
You can also plunge the cooked asparagus in ice water and serve cold as a salad.
