I was starting to get worried that nobody had yet mentioned the white varieties (grown without sunlight I believe - so it's not a surprise that they have a shorter shelf-life!)

White asparagus is much loved and appreciated in Spain - usually chubby and juicy.

But the green kind is sold as either bunches of achingly tender thin stems (not much thicker than stems of wheat) or in the fatter 'pencil' sizes most of the contributors to this thread seem to be describing.

MrLapLap drizzles them with olive oil and goes out into the garden with a gas burner and a chargrill pan (gets a bit smoky!) and returns with mouthwatering asparagus caressed with a touch of lemon juice. Always better than my own attempts.

The Japanese like to cook them in butter.

They also go very well with sesame. Drizzle some sesame oil and a few flaked sesame seeds for oustanding results.


As for if any other vegetable is just as delicious?

I can share two alternatives to asparagus - neither are the same, but both have tastes which can remind one of asparagus.

First is samphire - we collect it from the sea edge (avoiding the areas where dogs regularly piddle) rinse it and boil it for just under a minute (blanch it really) and rinse again with cold water immediately. Eaten with fresh slamon and boiled potatoes and a good mayonnaise it's absolute heaven. A great alternative to asparagus in the summer.

Or there's fresh garlic shoots (you can find them in Chinese, Japanese shops although they are a little different to the ones you get in Spain - where they are called ajos tiernos and look just like spring onions). The garlic shoots I'm thinking of are solid all the way through. ( I think they're also called 'garlic scrapes')
Fry them in olive oil just as you would asparagus for a pleasing alternative with just a hint of beguiling garlicky fragrance (droool....)

I think I like all these the same (although I wouldn't ever put samphire into a risotto...)


mlshanks - I'll certainly try it with ponzu - although I'm wondering if a mayonnaise mixed with ponzu and grated yuzu would do the trick as well....