White Asparagus

[bigmike&nan]

Only one recipe post today as my wife is sick and our broody hen is about to hatch... Cross fingers for the baby chicks please...


White Asparagus is finally coming in season (most of it coming from Peru)... It's a real treat whether you simply steam the spears and toss in a little butter, S&P and lemon zest, or go all out making a Fettucine and asparagus in a white wine sauce OR a caramelized onion and white asparagus quiche...

How is it white you might wonder, well sunlight is withheld during the growing process, thus the elimination of photosynthesis and chlorophyll.

http://www.globalchefs.com/article/archive/art008asp.htm

However it is grown, the end product is a more delicate flavored product. My wife supposedly hates asparagus, but loves the white variety... Enjoy the following recipes - I hope you break down and find some to serve. A real treat.


Fettucine and white asparagus in a white wine sauce:

Mis en place:

1 lb dry fettucine

2 Tbls EVO
2 Tbls salted butter
1 large onion small dice
2/3 lb white asparagus (last 1 inch of stalk trimmed off) cut in 1 inch pieces
1 cup coarsely chopped italian parsley
1 1/2 cup chardonnay
finely chopped zest of one large lemon (zest agressively)
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan
1/2 cup fresh grated pecorino romano
Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Preparation:

Bring 5 to 6 quarts of salted water to a boil, add fettucine.

Meanwhile place a heavy skillet or dutch oven on high heat, when really hot add the EVO, when oil is hot add the small diced onions and saute until almost clear, now add the 2 tbls butter and asparagus tips. Saute about 3 minutes, then add the 1 1/2 cup chardonnay, lemon zest and and S&P. Continue to cook 3-4 minutes until alcohol is cooked out of wine. Now add half and half and simmer 2 minutes. Remove pasta from water while still quite el dente and stir into wine/asparagus sauce, stir over heat 45 seconds so pasta absorbs some of the sauce. Remove pan from heat and add the parsley and two cheeses. Swirl into pasta bowls with tongs so you get some nice elevation and garnish with more cheese. Madone...

 

[JennsPeeps]

Mmm... white asparagus....

 

[Rosalind]

From Peru?

Crivens! Think you might be better off growing your own. Asparagus, like tomatoes & corn, is one of those things that is ever so much better when eaten within 24 hours of being picked. Dunno about white asparagus because I am too lazy to hill up anything other than potatoes. But, have you tried purple asparagus? It's also much more tender and mild than the green sort, although this may be simply because it's usually found only in farmers' markets where the produce is picked fresh that morning.

 

[bigmike&nan]

Well having spent nearly a year living in Chile I can tell you there are huge agricultural belts there that so resemble California it's amazing. Peru I am sure is not much different (just the same latitude but SOUTH of the Equator). I have had the purple asparagus a few times - got it at a Marin County Farmer's Market. I think for me the fascination with the white asparagus was I only ever saw in in jars (Reese or Roland brands) and to prepare it the way the wife and i like was a dream come true (just tossed in lemon zest, S & P and a bit of butter)...

 

[Rosalind]

bigmike&nan :

Well having spent nearly a year living in Chile I can tell you there are huge agricultural belts there that so resemble California it's amazing.

No doubt...What I meant was, that's really far for a veggie to travel. You figure, it gets picked and packed and put on a (plane? truck?) one day, spends at least 2-3 more days in transit, arrives at the distributor's shipping dock, spends probably a couple days in a warehouse before it's distributed, another day on a truck before arriving at the grocery store, then another 2 days in the back room of the grocery store...​

 

[bigmike&nan]

Rosalind,

I hear what you're saying about fresh-fresh. I used to get carrots from a farmer's market in downtown San Francisco (the one near the City Library) that had a translucent quality to them they were so fresh. Some things as rare and oddball as white asparagus you're just glad to get them AT ALL...

 

[Old MacDanny]

I tried some white asparagus a bit by accident this year, but if you look for a crack in the dirt in your asparagus row you can pull the dirt away and there may be a head a few inches below the soil. Just put a bucket over it and wait a few days. No sun, no photosynthesis, no green.

I tried a few like that, but I found I prefer regular. Mine is green with purple tops.