Sunday: Asparagus

On Saturday we saw the first European asparagus at the Coop (from Greece), and I just couldn't wait any more so I bought a bundle. I did a couple of test preparations during the day since I hadn't cooked white asparagus before.

For the first attempt I peeled a few stalks, wrapped them in parchment with a bit of salt and a drizzle of olive oil, and then baked them at 85C for 2 hours. This is what I call the "Wolfert method". The result was good, but not as good as the sauteed asparagus we used to make all the time in CA.

For the second test run I cut a few stalks on the bias after peeling them and then sauteed them in butter with a pinch of salt. The result here tasted nicely of brown butter but the only real aspargus notes that came through were bitterness. What's the deal with the bitterness? Is this a white asparagus thing? Is it a "bad Greek asparagus" thing?

So for dinner I used the long-baking method.

To go along with the asparagus and provide a counterpoint to the slight bitterness that's left after slow baking, I made a mayonnaise/sauce by emulsifying an egg yolk with the juice from half a blood orange, a pinch of salt, and some peanut oil. I didn't want to dilute the blood orange flavor too much, so I didn't add enough oil to get a real mayonnaise. The sauce, which I served on the side just in case it didn't work at all, went very well indeed with the asparagus.

So this method works to produce something that's good; it's not as good as the stuff we were getting at the farmers market in CA, but there's a big difference between asparagus from the supermarket and that from the farmer. We'll see how things look after the local asparagus starts appearing. Meanwhile, my asparagus craving has been at least partially slaked.