For many, asparagus dishes are almost a delicacy, but in Europe, for example, this vegetable is very common. A skilled hostess can prepare main courses, snacks, desserts and even drinks from asparagus.
Asparagus can be eaten in any form other than raw. There are dishes from boiled, fried, stewed asparagus. It can also be canned.
Asparagus or asparagus officinalis belongs to the lily family and is considered a relative of onions and garlic.
Asparagus comes in white, green and purple colors. Previously, only white asparagus was valued, but ten years ago, French and Belgian chefs proposed to introduce green asparagus into the menus of famous restaurants. The German cooks resolutely did not want to let the "poor relative" into a decent society. However, many consumers like green asparagus due to its more pronounced taste and high sugar content.
You need to work hard to ruin the asparagus dish, because it is very easy to prepare.
The easiest way to make a delicious asparagus dish is to blanch it in boiling, pre-salted water. The thick stems of the plant must be cut off and only a few centimeters of the tender top should be left. The main thing in this case is not to digest. Already in 3-4 minutes the asparagus will become soft, if you cook it for longer, it can lose its color. Such a "quick" dish is served with a creamy sauce.
You can complicate this recipe a little and cook asparagus in bread crumbs. To do this, it must be boiled in the same way and thrown into a colander. Meanwhile, in a blender, grind the dried slices of a white loaf into crumbs and mix them with grated Parmesan in a 1: 1 ratio. You also need to beat the egg separately. Dip the asparagus shoots in an egg, then roll in crumbs and transfer to a baking sheet. Then the asparagus is baked for 3-5 minutes under the grill at 200 ° C. After the crumbs are browned, the asparagus can be served. Hollandaise sauce will serve as an addition to it.
Asparagus can also be used to make first courses, such as puree soup. To do this, you need leeks, asparagus, some cream and butter. The leeks must be rinsed and finely chopped. Depending on your desire, you can use only the white part, or you can add green leaves.
The asparagus should be washed by breaking off the hard ends. Then you need to cut off the tops of the asparagus 5 cm long. After that, the hard and middle parts of the asparagus must be chopped, each separately. The hard part is cut more finely, and the middle part is enough to cut into circles.
The crushed solid part of the plant should be placed in a saucepan, covered with water and cooked for 40 minutes over low heat. After that, cool slightly. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, sauté the leeks in butter for 15 minutes. Add the asparagus broth and the chopped middle part of the vegetable to the sautéed onion. Cook everything for 25 minutes. The asparagus should be soft. The soup must be cooled, turned into a puree soup with a blender. Then you need to add salt and cream, put chopped asparagus tops on top. After the soup has boiled, cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.
You can also serve asparagus dishes for dessert, for example, asparagus salad with fruits and berries. To do this, boil white asparagus (90 g) in salted water with the addition of 0.5 tablespoons of sugar. In the meantime, you need to prepare a sauce from white wine: evaporate a little 150 g of wine, add 1, 5 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of butter. Pour the prepared sauce over a plate, top with asparagus, berries and chopped fruits. For this, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pears are useful. Round off your meal with freshly squeezed asparagus juice rich in vitamins.
