Asparagus white: cooking recipes. Dishes from white asparagus

Asparagus (Asparagus in Latin) is a plant of the bulbous family, a relative of onions, garlic, and lilies.

People differently represent this plant. Some believe that it is a green twig in a bouquet, others - a delicious dish in a French cafe, the third will remember the "Korean salad" in a supermarket.

And all this is about asparagus. Its fluffy twigs are used to decorate floral compositions, shoots (shoots growing from the ground from bulbs) are an excellent vegetable for cooking delicious dishes.

Asparagus in Russia is also called a product of soy milk - fuchu. Of it, in particular, Korean salads are made, but it has nothing to do with this asparagus.

A bit of history

Asparagus is used as a vegetable culture for more than two thousand years. It was widely used in Greece, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome. Since the end of the 15th century, this vegetable is grown and consumed first in France, and then throughout Western Europe.

Asparagus was considered a delicacy and was present at the tables of the emperors of Rome, the kings of France, the Egyptian pharaohs, the party leaders of Eastern Europe. Asparagus has always been more than just a vegetable dish; She was attributed numerous healing properties, which is partly true.

Young "sticks" of asparagus are used in pharmaceutics, they contain many vitamins, trace elements and minerals.

In Russia, asparagus gained fame in the 18th century, but still little is grown and is not widely known as a vegetable.

Asparagus: varieties

Varieties of cultural asparagus:

• White;
• Green;
• Purple.

Asparagus white is grown in a special way. When shoots appear on the surface of the earth, they are sprinkled (hilled), they do not allow growing under the sun's rays. Until recently, it was considered a delicacy and was valued very highly. Only white asparagus was served in fine restaurants with caviar, goat cheese, truffles.

Green asparagus is grown in a natural way, under the sun. At present, it is valued for its high content of nutrients and pronounced taste qualities. This is the most common type of asparagus in modern cooking, present in the menu of fine restaurants in Belgium, France and Germany.

Purple asparagus was invented by the French. This vegetable is a cross between a white and a green variety. Asparagus white for some time is grown under the sun, acquires a purple hue before it turns green. Gourmets appreciate purple asparagus for a peculiar bitter taste.

In nature, there is wild asparagus. It grows well around the world. Wild asparagus is found in the Crimea, Western Siberia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and America. It is believed that the wild vegetable is more delicious and contains more useful substances.

Asparagus: tips for cooking

There are many dishes from asparagus: mashed potatoes, soups, desserts, salads. In all recipes used boiled vegetable, no exception is also asparagus white.

Recipes for cooking white asparagus have their own nuances:

1. The stems of the vegetable should be examined, thoroughly rinsed under a stream of cold water, especially carefully the area with scales. If it is impossible to wash the stem head from the sand, the scales are cut off.
2. Asparagus should be cleaned from a thick skin. This is done with great care, since even a small untreated area can spoil the whole dish.
3. From the bottom of the stem, cut a fifth (if the asparagus is not very fresh, then one-fourth). The freshness of asparagus is determined by the cut: it must be moist. The fresh vegetable is elastic and creaks.
4. Peel the asparagus in bundles and boil in boiling water vertically, as the bottom of the vegetable is stiffer and brewed longer. The beam should be vertically fixed in a pan (with the help of a load) or use a special container for cooking asparagus. The lower parts of the stems are cooked in water, and the upper parts are prepared by steam.
5. Asparagus is not cooked for long, ten or fifteen minutes. In the cooking water, salt and a small amount of butter or vegetable oil are added. The process of cooking should be carefully monitored so as not to digest the product into porridge.
6. Correctly cooked asparagus keeps its vertical position, if the stem is picked up with a fork and lifted above the pan.
7. After cooking, the asparagus should be rinsed with cold water. Properly processed vegetable should preserve its taste and useful properties, it is pleasant to crunch.

From the prepared asparagus prepare many various dishes. Peeled skin and cut parts are not thrown away, they are used for cooking soups and sauces.

So, in your household stocks there was white asparagus - how to cook such a unique product? What recipes should I take to pleasantly please my loved ones with a delicious dish?

Asparagus: dishes of Romanian cuisine

Dishes from white asparagus are prepared in many countries of Europe, they are not exotic or very difficult to prepare.

For example, in Romania, boiled stems are placed on a dish, previously dried on a napkin. They are served with various sauces or crushed biscuits roasted in melted butter.

One of the recipes for asparagus sauce consists of the following products:

• Egg of chicken - two yolks;
• Mustard - one teaspoon;
• Sunflower oil - one glass;
• Lemon juice - half a teaspoon (can be replaced with vinegar);
• Salt - to taste;
• Gherkin (or a small salted cucumber) - one piece;
• Greens - parsley, tarragon, onion green (to taste).

In the bowl, put two chicken yolks, add salt, add lemon juice, mustard, whisk. In small portions, not stop stirring the yolks, pour in the sunflower oil. The mixture will gradually thicken (like mayonnaise). To speed up the process, you can use a blender. Greens, gherkins, finely chop finely and pour into the prepared mixture. The sauce is ready.

Another recipe from the Romanian cuisine: "Asparagus from asparagus in the oven."

Required:

• Asparagus - one kilogram;
• Flour - two tablespoons;
• Cheese grated - two tablespoons;
• Butter - one tablespoon;
• Eggs of chicken - three pieces;
• Sour cream - one glass
• Salt - to taste.

Asparagus boil, remove from boiling water, dry on a paper towel. Cut the stems with a mincer or blender. In the resulting mashed potatoes add flour, cheese, eggs, butter, salt. Stir well, roll the meatballs, fry in a pan. Put the balls in the baking dish, pour the sour cream with a teaspoon of flour, sprinkle with cheese and put the baked in the oven for twenty minutes. Serve hot.

Asparagus soup with asparagus in French

Asparagus is prepared soups-puree. These dishes are useful and contain few calories.

Soup of white asparagus "in French" is prepared from the following components:

• Water - 600 ml;
• Asparagus - 500 grams;
• Butter - one tablespoon;
• Onion - half of the bulb;
• Cream (20%) - half cup;
• White bread - pieces of French baguette (to taste).

Wash white asparagus, peel, cut into small pieces, add water. Cook on medium heat for twenty minutes. The stems should become soft.

Peel onion, rinse with cold water, finely chop, fry in butter until golden. Add the onion to the pan with the asparagus. When the vegetable becomes soft, crush the contents of the pan with a blender. In the puree, add cream, salt, boil for about five minutes. Soup-puree is served with toasted croutons from white bread.

Asparagus: a recipe for pickling

Asparagus white marinated prepared very simply.

To do this, you need the following products:

• Asparagus - 500 grams;
• Garlic - head;
• Vinegar - one tablespoon;
• Olive oil - two tablespoons;
• White pepper - one teaspoon;
• Mustard dijon - one tablespoon.

Asparagus to wash, clean, pour steep boiling water or boil for a couple.

Olive oil mixed with Dijon mustard, vinegar, pepper and chopped garlic (one tablespoon). All beat well with a whisk. Prepare the asparagus stems in a saucepan, cover with marinade, cover and put on cold. After about three hours, the pickled vegetable will be ready

Asparagus, frozen

In Russia, not everyone can afford to eat freshly cut asparagus in the season. Of course, our craftsmen are already growing this vegetable in the suburban areas, but still for many asparagus - it's exotic.

Supermarkets sell frozen asparagus (white and green). From it, you can also prepare delicious and nutritious dishes.

White asparagus asparagus is prepared similarly fresh. It must be remembered that before cooking it can not be defrosted, frozen shoots put in boiling water.

Try to cook the next dish from frozen asparagus.

It will take:

• Asparagus white frozen - one kilogram;
• Chicken egg - two pieces;
• Flour - four tablespoons;
• Cream - two tablespoons;
• Ground almonds - 200 grams;
• Lemon, orange - a few lobules;
• Sugar, salt, pepper - to taste

Asparagus boil in boiling water with salt, sugar, several slices of lemon and orange. Cook for 10 or 15 minutes. Carefully remove and dry on a paper towel.

Prepare breading. In one bowl, mix the flour, pepper, salt. In the other - cream with eggs. In the third bowl, prepare the ground almonds.

Cooled asparagus shoots first roll in flour with spices, then dipped into egg mixture and roll in almonds. Prepared asparagus fry in a pan.

The dish is served hot with lemon and orange slices.

Conclusion

Asparagus is a vegetable you need to know, love and be able to cook. The subject of our article was basically white asparagus. How to prepare this product, was detailed in the material. Dishes from it are extremely useful and low-calorie. Despite the fact that in Russia asparagus is little known and is considered a delicacy, do not neglect this vegetable. If you have the opportunity to buy (or even grow) useful shoots, prepare yourself and your loved ones a hearty and delicious dish (almost like in an elite European restaurant): asparagus green, asparagus violet, asparagus white - cooking recipes to your taste. Bon Appetit!