Had the best white asparagus in Berlin! Would go back just for that.

Oh my! I'm sure too! On my way now!

Better thread title:

Asparagus - you're in for a treat

A local relative of my wife imports it from Peru in containers. They know the grower very well. The deal is that you cannot certify organic there unless you are part of the ............ Must be something to do with getting the extra $ per pound. Just be rest assured, Peruvian asparagus from their sources is organic even though the certification process is .............The white variety does not have the shelf life of the green. But IMO it is the best.

Problem is when it is in season, you have it every nite and get tired of it, then just like every other produce, it costs $5/lb when you have a hankering for it out of season.

Of course, the best is no more than the thickness of a no. 2 pencil and needs no "peeling of the woody end" but a mere trim of 1/2 inch closest to the root.
(...it's good to have a great local farmer's market...)

While a roasting or quick steaming is lovely, I'm a big fan of cutting it into bite-sized pieces and stir frying it with shrimp, sliced water chestnuts and chopped green garlic...and dressing it with a little black bean sauce.

It's also nice in early summer steamed, cooled, cut in bite sized pieces and served with iced Soba (buckwheat) noodles dressed with ponzu.

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....

Same country for preferred aspara intake, but would likely head for the small towns and villages and their beer/wine terraces.

Nothing like lingering in the sun on a lazy weekend lunchtime, plates heaving with asparagus, a buttery sauce and local ham or other goodies washed down with a glass of the favourite local weisswein

I thought Samphire was the master of the pan flute!

I did see baby asparagus somewhere recently. It was the thickness of cooked spaghetti. I think I would prefer the stronger flavor of the more mature variety. AFAIK, white asparagus is achieved by keeping it in the dark. I didn't realize it had a different basic flavor. The only time I've had it, it was served cold with a strong vinagrette which overwhelmed it. It's in our local stores now, at a higher price. I may try tomorrow.

About 3 years ago I picked up a bunch of asparagus roots marked down at Walmart. I live in Roswell, Ga and have been enjoying it everyday for a week now. I planted it not too far from the front door, so I can see it. Later on in the summer it becomes a fern. But it sure tastes good now.

There are still some old folks that call asparagus "sparrow grass"

A Sparrow Grass mound used to be a common feature of kitchen gardens in England.


By the way, now is about the right time to find delectable baby artichokes (the slightly spiny kind). Sliced, smeared with lemon juice and flash fried in olive oil, these are, without a doubt, my very favourite vegetable.

(These artichokes do something to your saliva/tastebuds leaving a tantalising aftertaste - my Spanish family tells me it makes certain kinds of lovemaking more... let's say... palatable)

this thread is making me so hungry!!!

where does the best asparagus typically come from????

This thread is starting to make me horny!!!

Early season asparagus seems to come from Mexico. Best I've ever had came from my BIL's garden in Massachusetts. I think the shorter the time from garden to pot, the better.

Hear is my recipe for asparagus soup.It is a little time consuming but I make a big batch of it and freeze it in those disposable plastic soup containers-it freezes wonderfully.

Peel 4 pounds of asparagus and chop off the woody bit at the end,cut off and resrve the tips.
boil the peelings and ends(not the tips)in chicken stock to cover-20 mins.
Saute 2 leeks(well cleaned and sliced in 1 inch slices and 2 stalks of celery(also sliced in one inch pieces)in 1/2 cup of good butter till limp.And the peeled aspargus stalks cut into 1/2 inch peicesStrain off the chicken stock and ad(discard peelings and woody bits)and cook over med heat for half an hour-let cool.Add one pint of cream,white pepper and salt to taste.A bit of tarragon also.
When mixture is cooled slightly(but still a little warm)put it in a blender in batches,Blend till totally smooth. put in a pourable vesell-check for seasoning.Thin with chicken stock or cream if needed.
devide the reserved(uncooked) tips amongst the containers(I usually get six containers out of this recipe)and fill with the soup.

So the plates are with cblaisd on this one? :D

In the normal course of things, I could take or leave asparagus, but in spring I get sick of the sight of it. Come summer, when we pick and eat green beans right off the vines in the back yard, that's my idea of what a good vegetable tastes like.

It is almost noon (EDT) in Indiana when I started reading this thread -- just realized that this is the first weekend of the Bloomington Farmers Market where we can get local fresh asparagus. Ok, when and where do we have the First Asparagus Do?:)
BTW - thanks for the recipies.