Hero Veg: Asparagus

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Widely cultivated for its tender, succulent, edible shoots, asparagus has been eaten in the Mediterranean region as far back as 3000BC when it was pictured as an offering on an Egyptian frieze.

The ancient Greeks and Romans prized asparagus for its unique flavour, texture, and alleged medicinal and aphrodisiacal qualities. They ate it fresh when in season and dried the vegetable for use in winter. A recipe for cooking asparagus is given in Apicius’s De re coquinaria, from the 1st century AD, one of the world’s oldest surviving collections of recipes.

asparagusBy 1469, asparagus was cultivated in French monasteries, but was unknown in England until 1538, and in Germany until 1542. From Europe it was exported to the rest of the world by colonists and emigrants.

Asparagus is a rich source of folate, potassium and vitamin C. However, it is also high in purines, compounds which increase the body’s production of uric acid and may influence conditions like kidney stones and gout.

With its distinct yet delicate flavour and texture, asparagus needs little cooking. It can be boiled, steamed, roasted and fried. As its texture hardens towards the base of the stalk, the tip cooks quickly, while the base may be too fibrous to eat and is usually removed.

To prepare asparagus, gently bend to find where the fibrous end begins and snap the hard ends off. The tender section can be cooked in one piece as an asparagus ‘spear’ or broken into 1–2 cm pieces. Asparagus spears can be served simply boiled, steamed or roasted. The hard ends can be used to make soup.

 

Recipes:

Asparagus Frittata

Pasta with Asparagus

Asparagus Risotto

Sautéed Asparagus with Mushrooms

Sautéed Asparagus with Red Capsicum

Asparagus and Potatoes in Lemon Butter

Asparagus Ends Soup

 

Asparagus Frittata

  • 1 cup asparagus tips (approx 8–10 spears)
  • 1 small/medium potato, peeled and sliced
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Pepper and parsley
  • Olive oil

 

  1. Break hard ends off asparagus and cut soft end into 1-2 cm pieces (see above)
  2. Boil or steam potato until tender (approx. 10-15 minutes)
  3. In a small frying pan with a close-fitting lid, sauté the asparagus
  4. Add ¼ cup water, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is tender and the water is reduced
  5. Add potato and stir through
  6. Beat together the egg, Parmesan cheese, pepper, parsley and 1 tbsp. water
  7. Pour egg into frying pan
  8. Lift edges with a spatula and allow uncooked egg to flow underneath
  9. When the bottom is cooked, place the frying pan under a hot griller until the top browns

 

Pasta with Asparagus

  • 1 cup asparagus tips (approx 8–10 spears)
  • ½ cup pasta
  • 2 tbsp. diced bacon (optional)
  • Garlic granules, pepper and parsley
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Olive oil

 

  1. Break hard ends off asparagus and cut soft end into 1-2 cm pieces (see above)
  2. In a small saucepan sauté diced bacon (optional)
  3. Add asparagus and sauté with garlic granules and pepper
  4. Add ¾ cup water, bring to the boil and stir in pasta and parsley
  5. Set to simmer, stirring often and adding more water if required for 12 – 15 minutes or until pasta is cooked
  6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

Variation: substitute 2 tsp. basil pesto for diced bacon

 

Asparagus Risotto

  • 1 cup asparagus tips (approx 8–10 spears)
  • 2 tbsp. chopped onion
  • 1/3 cup rice
  • 1 tsp. chicken stock powder
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • Garlic, pepper, parsley
  • 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Butter or margarine

 

  1. Break hard ends off asparagus
  2. Cut off asparagus tips and set tips aside
  3. Cut remainder of stalk into 1-2 cm pieces
  4. In a small saucepan sauté chopped onion in butter with garlic and pepper
  5. Add asparagus pieces and sauté
  6. Add rice and stir until translucent
  7. Add 1 cup boiling water with stock powder and parsley
  8. Simmer covered for 10 minutes
  9. Stir in asparagus tips with lemon juice and simmer for a further 5 minutes
  10. Stir in Parmesan cheese

 

Sautéed Asparagus with Mushrooms

  • 1 cup asparagus tips (approx 8–10 spears)
  • 1/3 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tbsp. chopped onion
  • 1 tbsp. diced bacon (optional)
  • Garlic, pepper and chilli or paprika
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • Olive oil

 

  1. Break hard ends off asparagus and cut soft end into 1-2 cm pieces (see above)
  2. In a small saucepan sauté onion with spices
  3. Add bacon and sauté (optional)
  4. Add asparagus and sauté for 3–5 minutes
  5. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender
  6. Stir through a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (optional)

Variation: stir in ½ cup spinach leaves before Step 6

 

Sautéed Asparagus with Red Capsicum

  • 1 cup asparagus tips (approx 8–10 spears)
  • ½ cup red capsicum, sliced
  • 2 tbsp. chopped onion
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • Olive or canola oil

 

  1. Break hard ends off asparagus and cut soft end into 3–4 cm pieces (see above)
  2. In a frying pan, sauté onion
  3. Add capsicum and sauté until wilted
  4. Add asparagus and sauté until tender
  5. Stir in soy sauce and lemon juice
  6. Remove from heat and stir through a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese

Variation: substitute balsamic vinegar for the soy sauce and lemon juice

 

Asparagus and Potatoes in Lemon Butter

  • 1 cup asparagus tips (approx 8–10 spears)
  • ½ cup canned potatoes
  • 2 tbsp. butter or margarine
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • Chives, oregano and garlic granules
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

 

  1. Break hard ends off asparagus and cut soft end into 2-3 cm pieces (see above)
  2. Steam potatoes and asparagus for 5 minutes
  3. Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan
  4. Add herbs spices and lemon juice
  5. Toss potatoes and asparagus in butter sauce
  6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (optional)

 

Asparagus Ends Soup

  • 1–1½ cups asparagus ends
  • 1 portion frozen spinach (optional)
  • 1 tsp. chicken stock powder
  • Dried onion, pepper, garlic, parsley
  • Olive or canola oil
  • 1 tbsp. natural yoghurt (optional)

 

  1. Trim bottom off asparagus ends, slice down the centre and cut into 1 cm pieces
  2. In a small saucepan, sauté asparagus pieces until softened
  3. Add 1 cup water with stock powder, parsley and spices
  4. Simmer until the asparagus is very soft
  5. Add spinach and stir through when thawed (optional)
  6. Allow to cool, empty saucepan into large cup of a bullet blender and liquidise
  7. Return to saucepan with an additional ¼ cup water and gently reheat
  8. Remove from heat and stir in yoghurt (optional)

Variations:

  • supplement or substitute asparagus ends with broccoli or broccolini stalks
  • substitute ¼ cup frozen peas for the spinach and add at Step 3
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