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White asparagus season; any available in your neighbourhood?

post #1 of 8
4/19/11 at 8:53am
Thread Starter 

Oh yes they're back, the divine white asparagus. Yesterday we had the first taste of these very fresh harvested ones. I know many foodies are waiting for these to appear. There's a wide range of possible recipes, but "asperges à la Flamande" is very popular in Flanders, the part of Belgium where I live. Simply a mixture of melted butter, chopped parcely and chopped hardboiled egg, s&p. I also added some of my recently bought olive oil.

 

It's a bit more work than cooking green ones as these whites have to be carefully peeled entirely, but tastewise the white ones are much more delicate. I wonder in which parts of the world you have these too? Any local or other recipes you like?

 

aspergesVlaams1.jpg

 

 

 

 

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post #2 of 8
4/19/11 at 10:05am

I wouldn't say they're a huge deal here in US but I know in germany they are quite popular.  We always head down to our local german fare beer garden to have these in May.  One of my favorite preparations is steamed, wrapped in thick ham with bechamel sauce all over.  Yum.

 

Lovely pic as always.

In a nutshell
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post #3 of 8
4/19/11 at 12:24pm

Oddly enough, in what is usually a culinary desert, we do have white asparagus available here.

 

I've tried it several times, in different recipes, and I have to wonder what the shouting is all about.

 

"Delicate" doesn't describe it so much as bland and tasteless, IMO. It's no wonder that virtually every recipe I've seen uses it as a base to support something more flavorsome. Koukouvagia's recipe is typical: what we're eating is a bechamel-napped ham, in terms of any flavor. The white asparagus provides a different texture, perhaps. But if it weren't included not much would be missing.

They have taken the oath of the brother in blood, in leavened bread and salt. Rudyard Kipling
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post #4 of 8
4/19/11 at 2:10pm

White asparagus barely sell here in the UK.

Our season - for the green stuff - starts next month - and for about 8-10 weeks we get THE BEST asparagus in the world. Mostly from Herefordshire and Shopshire (if you live in England) and Scotland's - from Ayrshire, Perthshire and Stirlingshire.  Simply the best I've ever tasted (and I've eaten it in France, Belgium. Germany, Italy and points east!)

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post #5 of 8
4/19/11 at 3:13pm

Second that regarding UK green asparagus, it's the best I've had - you can get it from stalls small farmers set up by the road beside their fields, which of course means unbelievable freshness. Was in the country this weekend and it was already available in its very small baby form.

 

In Sweden (where I am right now) we're expecting the first deliveries of quality domestic white asparagus this week, hopefully. Prices are looking pretty high this year.

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post #6 of 8
4/20/11 at 3:45am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer View Post

Oddly enough, in what is usually a culinary desert, we do have white asparagus available here.

 

I've tried it several times, in different recipes, and I have to wonder what the shouting is all about.

 

"Delicate" doesn't describe it so much as bland and tasteless, IMO. It's no wonder that virtually every recipe I've seen uses it as a base to support something more flavorsome. Koukouvagia's recipe is typical: what we're eating is a bechamel-napped ham, in terms of any flavor. The white asparagus provides a different texture, perhaps. But if it weren't included not much would be missing.



So sorry you can't taste ours. Nearly a day between harvesting and cooking, as they should be. They are seen as a real delicatesse over here! Restaurants of all categories will change their menus announcing white asparagus. Even entire asparagusmenus are proposed. The dish I posted is a starter to be tasted on its own. It's simple but a fantastic dish.

 

White asparagus are a very labour intensive speciality in parts of my country and I can tell you these farmers are very proud of their culinary high profile produce, and they should be!

 

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post #7 of 8
5/2/11 at 5:10pm

After a spell of unusually warm weather, I've been told the first Swedish green asparagus of the year has arrived - a bit earlier than normal! I'm a bit dubious that it could possibly be this early, so I'll have to check to make sure somebody hasn't been getting confused.

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post #8 of 8
5/3/11 at 4:40am

I've seen local asparagus (green) in a couple of shops, and that is really early for us!  We have had some very sunny, dry weather which may have brought on the harvest a bit earlier, despite a reall bad, long, snowy winter.

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