Asparagus is a delicacy you just have to love. It brings invaluable benefits to your health and will help you lose weight.
We offer you the best tips on how to enjoy this delicacy. Asparagus is gradually becoming the most popular spring vegetable. This is the season that will only last until June, so hurry up so you don’t miss it.
The harvest starts around mid-April and does not take long, about 50 days and usually ends on June 24th. You can buy asparagus in some supermarkets all year round, but that’s not the case because it’s imported and besides not being as enticing to look at, it doesn’t taste like that at all.
A bit of history
In ancient history, asparagus was called thunder spice. Very old surviving records of asparagus cultivation have been found as far back as ancient Egypt. Asparagus spread widely in Europe in the 15th century.
Benefits of asparagus
Asparagus also contains trace elements, namely calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, iodine and iron. It’s also perfect for you when you’re on a diet because it’s low in energy and sugar content. It literally miraculously reduces cholesterol levels, and in general, we can say that it improves metabolism. It is also said to promote fertility and act as an aphrodisiac. And it’s definitely worth a try!
Asparagus is a perennial vegetable from which young stems are harvested each spring. Here you can find white, green or even purple varieties. Purple asparagus is the rarest, and if you encounter one, the same rules apply when cooking in the kitchen as green.
White asparagus has a milder flavor, but its big drawback is that it needs to be peeled. Green asparagus is grown in the light, and thanks to sunlight, it has its characteristic green color, because it undergoes unhindered photosynthesis. In addition, it tends to be richer in vitamin C.
Fresh asparagus can be recognized by the fact that it is very brittle and cracks when bent, it is not the so-called “rubber”. Older pieces are beginning to wood and are suitable for vegetable broth. Really fresh and good asparagus comes out with juice when cut. And the sound is also important, because when you gently rub the rhizomes, they begin to creak.
How to store and cook asparagus
The ideal way to store asparagus is to wrap it in a damp cloth and store it in the refrigerator. This will keep it for about a week.
The possibilities for cooking asparagus are endless. In any case, if you are processing white asparagus, peel it first. It is very important to clean the asparagus, only then it will not be bitter. No need to peel thin green asparagus, just remove the stiff ends like white asparagus.
If you have fresh sprouts in your hand, they should not be more than 2-3 cm. Tip for connoisseurs: do not cut the ends of green asparagus, but break off. If the asparagus is really fresh, it will crack where the woody end ends and the proper edible part begins.
As a rule, white tender asparagus also has delicate accompaniments such as butter, new potatoes, hollandaise sauce, veal and poultry or fish. On the other hand, green asparagus can stand up to a slightly more pronounced combo like garlic, chili, ginger, or dark meats.
How to cook asparagus? It is true that there is beauty in simplicity, and the simplest recipes are the best. You can grill asparagus, blanch it, pan fry it, or use it raw in salads.
