It's asparagus time!

[wiseheart]

The season came a little later than usual, but finally it's there. Mum and I both love asparagus, and fortunately, so do the Germans in general. I think they relate to asparagus the same way Hobbits relate to mushrooms. Which is a good thing, because it means that you can find literally hundreds of fantastic recipes for asparagus dishes on the Net. If you're an asparagus lover, google for "Spargelrezepte". Google offers you the instant translation from German, so if you're not that fluent in the language you'll still be able to manage.

So far, we've had asparagus with ham, cheese sauce and baked potatoes three times and asparagus with melted butter and roast bread crumbs and scrambled eggs (also added ham and baked potatoes) once. I'm going to try the Asparagus Milanese next, or the Polnish art. Or the version with poultry stripes. Or the one with mozzarella. I'm not sure which one to try first.

Asparagus is not unreasonably expensive, it has valuable minerals in it and very few calories, aside from being the tastiest vegetable on this planet. It's also a good thing that there are so many ways to prepare it. The only bad thing is: you get a tennis arm in every asparagus season, from all the peeling. But we manage. *g*

Also, I had the weirdest plotcritters about Hobbits cooking asparagus and calling it "the Elf root", for obvious reasons. I think I'm a hopeless case where the mind-in-the-gutter aspect of life is considered. Still, I'm sure the Hobbits would forget all about mushrooms, should they get the chance to know asparagus.

Okay, shutting up now...

Comments

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear! Let's spread the asparagus love!

I think the best asparagus dish I've ever ate were Pfälzer pancakes, which include asparagus, ham and cheese (or rather very thick cheese sauce) rolled into crépes. I so wish to learn how to make them; perhaps one day I'll find the right recipe.

[ajmckay.livejournal.com]

I don't cook anything on my own...horrible in a kitchen, but all the recipes you talk about sound so tempting that I just might try something. Hm...

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Cooking asparagus is the easiest thing in life. You just peeé them (not the heads, apparently, but the rest), then throw them into water seasoned with a teaspoon of sugar (against the slightly bitter aftertaste), lemon juice (so that they stay nice and white) and just a pinch of salt.

According to your personal taste, you can leave them there between 15 or 25 minutes, after which they're ready to be eaten. Add a slice ham or two cut to pieces, some melted butter (eventually with a tablespoon of breadcrumbs roasted in it) and some potatoes, and you're in Nirvana already.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Drat. I meant peel, of course.

[songfire3.livejournal.com]

*g* But you have to peel them *very* carefully! :)

We actually have asparagus in our garden. So I get the tennis arm and lumbago from the harvesting...

I love asparagus with king prawns. And asparagus cream soup. And asparagus with new potatoes, smoked ham and melted butter...lol. Now I'm hungry!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yeah, harvesting asparagus must be back-breaking work. I only saw it on television, but it looks painful.

No tennis arm here, yet - but a somewhat stiff neck, for glaring down at them wile peeling. *g*