Shared Kitchen

Real food from scratch

  • Home
  • About us
  • Cook’s notes
  • Ilaria’s Kitchenette
  • Shop
  • Search

Asparagus – A bunch of new ideas

11 October 2016 by Julie Biuso Leave a Comment

Not this week, but maybe next, you may have just a little frisson of hesitation as you pick up a bunch of asparagus, because the excitement of seeing the first bunches in the shops has passed and the enjoyment of simply boiled or steamed asparagus with olive oil or butter has started to wane. That’s when you need to arm yourself with a bunch of new ideas for asparagus.

asparagus & pea shoots

Jonny Schwass’ asparagus & pea shoots

If asparagus is really fresh – taut and snappy and still a little juicy – it is gorgeous raw. Soak briefly to ensure it is free of grit but not long enough to leach its Vitamin C, shake and pat dry. Slice thinly. It’s not much fun to eat a bowl of raw thumb-sized chunks of asparagus – you would be chewing a lifetime. Instead, slice very thinly on the diagonal. If you are not confident with a knife, peel into slivers with a vegetable peeler. Dress with hazelnut oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper and serve a spoonful with roast chicken, or a delicately cooked chicken breast, or steamed or pan-fried fish. I know you are meant to resist picking the first little tufty sprouts of tarragon leaves as they pop out of the ground in late spring (yep, if you have a tarragon plant, it will die off in autumn and pop up again in late spring or early summer, so watch for it), but, a few tiny sprigs added to the mix of asparagus, hazelnut oil and lemon is magic. True, if you buy a bottle of hazelnut oil you will need to find uses for the rest of the oil in the bottle. It’s superb on a goat’s cheese salad with a raspberry vinaigrette, and fabulous drizzled over vegetable pasta dishes – think baby zucchini and zucchini flowers on pasta, or, forget the pasta and drizzle over zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta and mint with toasted pine nuts – or used in salads with oranges, pears, persimmons, nashi, that sort of thing. It is intensely nutty, with a hint of sweetness and is often mixed with another oil so its presence doesn’t overpower other ingredients. It can also be used in baking.

I wasn’t really meaning to go off on a hazelnut oil tangent … but just to conclude, like all oils, it is sensitive to light, so store it in a pantry, and use it up! No point hiding it at the back of the pantry and finding it has lost its charm when you finally dig it out three years later.

Asparagus & poached egg

Asparagus & poached egg with browned lemon butter and toasted crumbs

Sometimes you see bunches of pencil-thin asparagus, and other days, big chumpy spears, and you’re not sure which is best. Rest assured the skinny jobs are males, and the nice plump ones are female! Ahhwww, nature is so predictable. Be that as it may, skinny asparagus are the ones to choose when you want to make a frittata, or a quiche or tart. Thick pieces of asparagus, especially if they still have a little crunch, will cause a frittata or pie to split when you cut it. Choose skinny asparagus, and cook them until they are bite-tender. Swirl through beaten seasoned eggs (salt, pepper, nutmeg) and grated parmesan, and drop into hot sizzling oil and butter in a frying pan (skillet), letting them curl around the pan. They will become ‘one’, a cohesive mixture, which will look good and slice easily.

Those big fat spears? They are the ones for dunking into a vinaigrette (or messy eggs!), or for roasting or barbecuing. The thick end is good to hold on to if using asparagus as a dipper –­ in fact they make great fingerfood, though you may not always be able to chew them down to the end, so provide a dish for the stumps.

How to deal with leftover asparagus? If it is nicely tender, stir it through a risotto in the last few minutes to heat it through, or fry it off in sizzling butter with morning eggs. Asparagus need never be boring.

 

Share Share on StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
share on Tumblr
Tumblr
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Share on Facebook
Facebook

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You might also like...

Asparagus Frittata – look for the littlies!
Oh, soft, warm and smelling like heaven ... slices of asparagus frittata stuffed between soft or crunchy bread rolls is delicious.
Read more
Is white asparagus as good for you as green?
Just waiting for those big mounds of asparagus to appear in shops, then you know it's fresh, plentiful and cheap!
Read more
A messy Sunday night supper – asparagus & eggs
Mmmm. If you love eggs, and you love asparagus, it's time to dunk!
Read more

About this blog

Julie Biuso

Shared Kitchen is an ongoing collaboration between longtime New Zealand food personality Julie Biuso and upstart food blogger Ilaria Biuso.

Subscribe

Keep up to date with all the latest.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Essentials

  • 10 minutes with…
  • Tastings
  • Kitchen things we like
  • Reviews
  • Sites I like
  • Weights & measures
  • Copyright & disclaimer

Categories

  • Recently posted
  • Julie’s Blog
  • Ilaria’s Blog & Recipes
  • Special occasions
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter
  • Wine & drinks

Posts by month

  • + 2022
    • June (101)
    • May (70)
    • April (79)
    • March (116)
    • February (80)
    • January (9)
  • + 2021
    • December (13)
    • November (17)
    • October (13)
    • September (21)
    • August (12)
    • July (14)
    • June (13)
    • May (9)
    • April (10)
    • March (15)
    • February (11)
    • January (13)
  • + 2020
    • December (11)
    • November (16)
    • October (21)
    • September (19)
    • August (10)
    • July (7)
    • June (4)
    • May (4)
    • April (28)
    • March (15)
    • February (25)
    • January (13)
  • + 2019
    • December (18)
    • November (21)
    • October (18)
    • September (24)
    • August (27)
    • July (30)
    • June (19)
    • May (30)
    • April (38)
    • March (23)
    • February (24)
    • January (18)
  • + 2018
    • December (21)
    • November (25)
    • October (28)
    • September (23)
    • August (26)
    • July (27)
    • June (27)
    • May (25)
    • April (15)
    • March (20)
    • February (22)
    • January (19)
  • + 2017
    • December (13)
    • November (22)
    • October (23)
    • September (18)
    • August (25)
    • July (17)
    • June (22)
    • May (21)
    • April (19)
    • March (25)
    • February (19)
    • January (23)
  • + 2016
    • December (8)
    • November (17)
    • October (21)
    • September (22)
    • August (23)
    • July (13)
    • June (19)
    • May (22)
    • April (17)
    • March (21)
    • February (15)
    • January (15)
  • + 2015
    • December (20)
    • November (17)
    • October (10)
    • September (23)
    • August (16)
    • July (6)
    • June (13)
    • May (17)
    • April (8)
    • March (12)
    • February (8)
    • January (21)
  • + 2014
    • December (4)
    • November (2)
Shared Kitchen Online Shop

SHARED KITCHEN COOKBOOK

Buy our Shared Kitchen Cookbook

Get a signed copy by Julie & Ilaria Biuso

Julie & Ilaria Biuso Win BEST IN THE WORLD 2021 GOURMAND BOOK AWARDS

SHARED KITCHEN Real Food From Scratch wins 2021 Gourmand Award

SHARED KITCHEN Real Food From Scratch has won Best In The World in the Blogger category at the Gourmand Cookbook Awards announced in Paris this month.

Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2015 Best Food Blogsite New Zealand

Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2015 Best Food Blogsite New Zealand

PRESS COVERAGE

Print  Radio  Television

Shared Kitchen radio and print interviews

Shared Kitchen

Shared Kitchen
Julie Biuso
2020

  • Home
  • About us
  • Cook’s notes
  • Ilaria’s kitchenette

© 2020 Please see our copyright page for conditions on use of content here

  • Home
  • About us
  • Ilaria’s Kitchenette
  • Store
  • Categories
    • Special occasions
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Baking
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
    • Winter
    • Wine & drinks
    • Back
  • Essentials
    • 10 minutes with…
    • Kitchen things we like
    • Recently posted
    • Reviews
    • Tastings
    • Tips & tricks
    • Something for the weekend
    • Weights & measures
    • What’s at the farmers’ markets
    • Back