Asparagus season
Not to be missed! Tips for lapping up this green (or white) gem while you can.
Asparagus salad @ Cafe Gratitude, Los Angeles.
Asparagus season is one of many miraculous gifts of early Summer. We have 6-ish weeks during mid-April to early June, in which to enjoy this luscious green jewel. From the simple yet delectable blanched asparagus with hollandaise sauce, to asparagus tart, quiche or risotto- asparagus every which way is just the ticket. Warmer days plus an abundance of local sellers come together to present us this prized morsel, so it really is worth making the most of the window of opportunity and helping yourself to a bundle or five.
We love a roadside pop-up or local farm shop, where you can also learn a thing or two about growing your own. Asparagus is a perennial, so once bedded and growing (this does take 3 or so years), the plants will reliably produce a late Spring / early Summer crop for the next 15-20 years. Astonishing. This equates to a lot of nice meals, so this kitchen garden endeavour is a worthwhile investment to be sure. Take a tip from “The Gardening Channel With James Prigioni”, and speed up the time to harvest by buying good quality asparagus crowns rather than seeds.
Nutrition +
However you go about it, it pays to find ways to celebrate and consume this fleeting vegetable while you can. As well tasting delicious, asparagus is fantastically nutritious. Renowned for its probiotic, immune-boosting, digestive-health promoting effects, asparagus contains an astonishing array of vitamins ( B1, B2, B3, B9, B12, C, E & K), minerals, amino acids and phytonutrients. Vitamin B9 (folate) is crucial for maintaining homocysteine levels in the blood, which promotes heart health. Folate, by its’ conversion to methionine, plays a role in cell division and DNA formation, which is especially important for expectant mothers. Asparagus is rich in calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium, as well as antioxidant nutrients such as aponins, flavonoids and other phenolics. Bask in the full nutritional profile here.
The more diverse the array of plants we consume, the more we nurture and enrich our body with natural phytonutrients, known to contain medicinal properties. Asparagus has been used medicinally throughout the ages in many countries and cultures. In recent years, studies have shown that asparagus saponins have hypolipidic effects, which can regulate cholesterol and LDL levels. Saponins also have antifungal properties. Flavonoids and phenols have powerful antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic effects too. Not to mention, asparagus is also full of water, ferrying all of its’ bioactive and bioavailable goodness straight into the bloodstream. All the more reason to dive in and enjoy asparagus to your heart’s content this season.
While asparagus is sweet and delicious eaten raw in salads or with cheese, it is lovely to enjoy it as part of familiar and comforting dishes. Read on for one of the simplest of brunch plates, guaranteed to please your taste buds...
Match made in heaven
The classic dish of blanched asparagus, smeared with hollandaise sauce is hard to beat. Add an optional poached egg for extra sustenance.
Try this simple composition, any time, morning, noon or night:
Method:
Take three medium saucepans, add water and bring to a boil. Next, prep the asparagus by peeling the outer skin from the stem using a vegetable peeler. Trim the bottom of the stem to remove woody ends.
Step one is to prepare the hollandaise sauce. We love the quick and foolproof recipe in “The Prawn Cocktail Years”, by Lindsey Bareham and Simon Hopkinson. Be sure to reserve the surplus, lonely egg whites for lemon meringue pie or amaretti.
1. For the hollandaise:
- 225g butter
- 3 egg yolks
- Splash of water
- Juice of one lemon
- Salt and pepper
First, melt the butter over a low heat Leave to cool and remove the milk solids with a spoon, revealing clarified butter. Set aside until the temperature is tepid (too warm and the egg yolks will scramble). Place a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add the egg yolks and splash of water and whisk until the mixture thickens. Slowly pour in the butter and lemon juice, whisking as you go. Season, final whisk and set aside.
2. For the asparagus
Place the asparagus in the boiling water and reduce to a simmer. Asparagus cooks in minutes (3-5) so watch it like a hawk, removing a spear to test it after a few of minutes. The stems should remain firm, juicy and bright green/white. If in doubt, remove earlier rather than later as the asparagus will continue to cook through once removed, turning minimally translucent. When ready, remove and plate.
3. Poach your egg
Add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the water and reduce the boil to a low roll. Crack in your egg(s) and simmer gently for a couple of minutes. Remove and add to your plate. Finish by adding lashings of hollandaise sauce.
Note: The quantity of hollandaise sauce can be reduced if you require less or happen to be running out of butter that day. Use 100gr of butter, 1 egg yolk and the juice of half a lemon instead. The sauce does not keep, so make as much as you need for one sitting.
Simple pleasures.
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Though asparagus is not for everyone in terms of taste, we hope you find cause to celebrate this lovely speared vegetable some way, some how this season.
And juuusst in case you were curious, and/or to allay suspicions regarding asparagus-smelling pee (sorry): know that the odour is a quirky by-product of metabolic processes in the body. As the body breaks down asparagusic acid, we produce sulphur-rich substances which account for the phenomenon. Not everyone will encounter this since we metabolise compounds differently. Just a little bit of trivia!
Happy Asparagus Season, may it bring you a multitude of good things this Summer ~
ENDS.
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Reference list:
Pegiou, E., Mumm, R., Acharya, P., de Vos, R. C. H., & Hall, R. D. (2020). Green and white asparagus (Asparagus officinalis): A source of developmental, chemical and urinary intrigue. Metabolites. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo10010017
Guo, Q., Wang, N., Liu, H., Li, Z., Lu, L., & Wang, C. (2020). The bioactive compounds and biological functions of Asparagus officinalis L. – A review. Journal of Functional Foods. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2019.103727
Xi, J., Tan, S. B., He, C. P., Gao, J., Chen, H., Zhang, S., … Yi, K. (2020). Nutrition characteristics and nutrition accumulation of asparagus. Acta Horticulturae. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2020.1301.4