Short season starts in mid-April
With these seven tips you can enjoy asparagus
White asparagus is particularly popular among Germans.
© Karl Allgaeuer/Shutterstock.com
It’s finally here again: asparagus season. There are a few things to consider when preparing the Germans’ favorite vegetables.
Germans love hardly any other vegetable as much as theirs Asparagus. Asparagus is harvested in this country from around mid-April, and the asparagus season traditionally ends on June 24th, St. John’s Day. This makes it all the more important to make proper use of the short period of time. Boiled, as a soup or in a salad – the “white gold” can be used in many different ways. But a lot can go wrong during preparation. With these hacks, enjoying asparagus will be a success – whether green or white.
Freshness test when shopping
The fresher the asparagus, the better it tastes. But how do you recognize that? Visually at the tips: With fresh asparagus these are closed. Moist interfaces and slight scratching with a fingernail also indicate freshness. If that’s not enough, the squeak test can help: If the sticks squeak when rubbed together, they are fresh vegetables.
Store asparagus properly
Asparagus does not tolerate long storage times and should be prepared as quickly as possible. The freshness can be extended by one to two days by wrapping the stalks in a damp cloth. If the asparagus seems a little wilted, you can soak it in cold water for two hours before preparing it. This will make it crispy again and make it easier to peel.
Peel white asparagus particularly well
White asparagus is particularly popular with Germans. Before you start cooking, “the white gold” must be generously peeled – the peel is very hard and fibrous. Before peeling, rinse the stalks under running water and drain. Then use a peeler to attach the head of the asparagus spear and peel off the peel from top to bottom. Peel more generously at the bottom as the peel is thicker there. Also cut off the woody ends – for very fresh sticks this is around one to two centimeters. But the asparagus peels and ends don’t have to end up in the trash can: you can easily make a cream soup out of them.
It’s all about the right cooking method
Do not put the asparagus in boiling water – otherwise the spears will become mushy and lose their nutrients. It’s best to put it in an empty pot and fill it with enough water to cover everything. Then take the sticks out again, add some sugar, salt, lemon and butter to the water and bring to the boil briefly. The lemon prevents the asparagus from turning gray when cooked. Then add the asparagus back in and let it simmer on a low level. The cooking time is around twelve minutes – but varies depending on the thickness of the sticks.
The perfect hollandaise sauce
A classic accompaniment to white asparagus is hollandaise sauce. The tasty sauce is quick to make, but requires a bit of skill. The classic basic recipe (three to four servings) only requires three main ingredients: four egg yolks, 125 grams of butter and two to three tablespoons of white wine. Slowly melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove. Meanwhile, in a metal bowl over a hot water bath, mix the egg yolks with the white wine, a tablespoon of water, a pinch of salt and sugar with a whisk until a yellow cream is formed. Then slowly stir in the melted butter with a whisk until a creamy sauce is formed. Finally, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and serve immediately.
For a vegan version, replace the butter with vegetable butter and melt it with two tablespoons of flour on the lowest setting, stirring well. Then pour in 100 milliliters of vegetable stock and bring to the boil briefly. Turn down the heat and add 100 milliliters of vegetable cream, white wine and a teaspoon of mustard and mix well. Refine with lemon juice, salt and pepper, then simmer for five to ten minutes and season to taste.
Green asparagus does not need to be peeled
Green asparagus doesn’t just differ in color: it tastes nuttier than white and you don’t have to peel it. Because it grows above ground, unlike white asparagus, it contains more vitamin C and carotene. It is enough to break off the bottom ends to remove the woody part. A tip: If you don’t use all of the asparagus straight away, you can put the remaining spears in a container with water. This means they stay juicy longer and don’t dry out.
Green asparagus: Roast instead of boiling
While you cook the white asparagus, the green version is perfect for the pan. To do this, fry the sticks on all sides in a little olive oil. But be careful: green asparagus cooks faster than white – five minutes is enough. The fried asparagus can also be eaten with hollandaise sauce, but also goes well in salads, pasta dishes or as a side dish with meat and fish.