Asparagus

Photo: Marion van Dijk
Asparagus – crisp, succulent, grassy, herbaceous – tells us more than any other vegetable that spring is here.

The day I discovered grilled asparagus, a whole new dimension of taste and texture entered my life; a long way from childhood days and memories of afternoon tea parties, Kiwi-style, of egg sandwiches with the crusts cut off and the ubiquitous asparagus rolls made with overcooked asparagus rolled up in thinly buttered white bread.

I think the asparagus roll is ready for a comeback, hopefully with a more healthy, more appetising preparation of the asparagus: just lightly steamed and still crunchy.

After all, we now all know that overcooking vegetables destroys their taste, texture, colour and reduces their nutritional value.

Fresh asparagus is absolutely loaded with nutrients, so much so that it is like taking a multivitamin pill. In asparagus you find vitamin, K, folate, vitamins C, A, B1, B2, B3, manganese, fibre, phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, selenium and calcium. It is low in sodium and in calories.

A pity the season is so short, not only to enjoy the taste of asparagus but also knowing how good it is for us.

Asparagus, a member of the lily family, is really available fresh only in the spring to early summer, so we have to make the most of it. It retails between $8 and $12 a kilogram depending on supply and the time of the season.

It comes to us in an array of fat stalks, medium stalks and skinny stalks. Which ones you choose is a matter of taste, but it pays to be consistent in the size that you choose so that it will cook uniformly.

Asparagus is best eaten as fresh as you can get it. Always check the tips – they should not be split or look dried. The spears should be bright green and blemish free.

There are different views about preparing asparagus. Some people peel the spears, particularly the lower portions, to get rid of any stringy bits. Others view peeling as sacrilege.

You can snap off the base of the asparagus at the point where you feel resistance, which gets rid of the tough bit at the bottom of the spear. Save them to make a delicious asparagus soup.

Whatever way you choose to prepare asparagus, peeled or not, bottom snapped off or not, it should be cooked only until the spears are still crisp yet tender. If you prick the asparagus with the tip of a knife you should feel some resistance and if you are boiling or steaming it, the spears should be served bright green.
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Keep an eye on the spears while they are cooking so you don't overcook them. The point between perfectly cooked and overcooked is a matter of only a minute or two.

When you are steaming or boiling the spears, first bring the water to the boil before adding the asparagus.

Asparagus is delicious plain with a little oil or butter, or hollandaise sauce, if you must. It really requires very little to adorn it. It is a wonderful accompaniment for meat and fish dishes as well as pasta, egg or rice dishes. It is great in quiches or tarts.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS
Photo: Marion van Dijk
To grill asparagus, lie equal-sized spears on a baking dish, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper and place under a hot grill until the asparagus begins to turn golden. Test a spear to ensure that you don't overcook it.

ASPARAGUS WITH PROSCIUTTO

Wrap three spears of asparagus in two pieces of fine prosciutto, per person (buy prosciutto from the Mediterranean Warehouse) and grill or bake in a hot oven until the prosciutto is slightly crisp and the asparagus is just tender. Serve with a cheese and onion frittata.

CHEESE AND ONION FRITTATA

Serves 4

Slice a medium onion and saute in olive oil in a heavy frypan that you can put in the oven. Saute until the onion softens. Add 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced. Add a handful of chopped Italian parsley and six eggs lightly beaten. Add a cup of grated tasty cheese and 3 to 4 Tbsp of grated parmesan cheese.

Turn the heat down to very low and cook gently for five minutes.

Place the frypan in the oven under the grill element and grill until the top puffs up and turns golden.

ASPARAGUS SOUP
A delicious first course – serves 4
Photo: Marion van dijk

500g of asparagus
4 shallots or 1 medium onion
2 Tbsp of butter
1.2 litres of chicken stock
2-3 sprigs of fresh marjoram
1/4 cup of light cream

Peel the asparagus to about halfway up the spears. You need to peel them, or alternatively you will need to sieve the soup at the end to get rid of the fibrous stringy pieces.

Cut the spears into three pieces. Reserve the top 2 centimetres of the tips of the spears. Slice the shallots.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots and the asparagus pieces except for the asparagus tips.

Saute until the vegetables soften.

Add the chicken stock and simmer the soup for at least 30 minutes. Take off the heat and cool.

Puree the soup until smooth. Return to the pot and bring to a gentle boil, reduce the soup by at least a third to concentrate the flavours.

Turn down to a simmer and add the asparagus tips. Cook until the tops are just tender. Add the cream and salt and pepper to taste.