Asparagus Season – Spargelzeit

The German white asparagus season starts towards the end of March and lasts until 24 June.

White asparagus, bought locally, preferably just hours after it has been harvested is a real treat. Normally I buy the very first asparagus of the year for dinner on Easter Friday, just 3 or four pieces each for a small starter dish, since the very first asparagus is very expensive.

White asparagus is a little different from its green cousin. The first time I cooked it I didn't realize you have to peel the entire stalk starting just under the tender tip; it’s not a mistake you make a second time. After peeling, break off the last woody inch of stalk. It's possible to buy a special tall cooking pot to cook asparagus, in which the stalks are placed vertically so the tips stand up out of the boiling water and thus are merely steamed rather than boiled but in fact I have never had any problem with boiling asparagus lightly in a regular pot, lying horizontally. The important thing is to remember that, like spaghetti, asparagus is utterly spoiled when it is overcooked and soggy, it needs to remain very slightly firm. After the first four or five minutes of cooking, it’s best to stand beside the stove, sharp pointed knife in hand, testing the asparagus every 30 seconds or so. When you are almost sure it's ready, lift out one piece, cut off a short piece and test for readiness.

Asparagus with vinaigrette
Simple but good. Either use a regular vinaigrette (wine vinegar or lemon juice, a little mustard, salt, pepper, olive oil) or try this version based on a recipe from the German chef Doris-Katharina Hessler.

Chop half a small shalotte or a small amount of onion per person very finely. Fry in olive oil with a little butter until the onion is soft, add a teaspoon or perhaps two of cider or apple wine vinegar per person, plus a teaspoon of white wine and/or lemon juice. Finally, add a desert spoon of olive oil per person. If you like, add a little very finely chopped tomato before serving.

Asparagus with red wine and onion sauce
This is not a main course but makes an elegant starter. The sauce is so good that most guests will want some nice bread, say baguette, to mop up any sauce remaining on their plates.

4 or 5 aparagus shoots per person
Chop approximately a teaspoon of onion or shalotte per person and fry in olive oil until fairly soft. Add a glass of red wine per person and boil fiercely to reduce liquid by half. One minute before serving, add 30-50g (approximately 1 ounze or 1/4 stick) of cold butter per person, cut into small pieces, and boil rapidly until the sauce thckens.

Asparagus in flaky pastry with cream and chervil sauce
Again a starter. It's perfectly okay to use frozen flaky pastry, baked according to the instructions on the packet. You want one piece of pastry, about 5 inches by 3 inches, per person.

4 or 5 aparagus shoots per person
While the asparagus is cooking, remove about a desert spoonful per person of cooking water and place in a small pot. Add a little chervil per person (if you can't find fresh, dried chervil is okay providing it is rehydrated in the cooking water). Boil to reduce liquid by half, then add a tablespoon of cream and half a desert spoon of lemon juice per person bring to the boil then add 60g (2 ounces, 1/2 stick) of butter per person and boil furiously for one minute to thicken. Taste and add salt, pepper, perhaps a few drops of lemon juice.
Split the cooked flaky pastry horizontally, lay the asparagus on the bottom half, add sauce and then the upper half of the pastry. This is a very much simplified version of a recipe from the great French chef Michel Guérard. It's not a slimmer's dish but it tastes very good and will definitely impress dinner guests.