Why such injustice? Our climate is in many ways similar to the German one, but if asparagus is a vegetable that is a matter of national pride, then in Russia they just heard about it and saw it on TV. In April and May, all of Germany without fail tastes asparagus soup and this dessert vegetable itself without fail under the Olandez sauce. In our lands, this delicacy appears only in cans (very losing in taste and usefulness) or in a state of shock freezing. We even have very sophisticated housewives who often do not know how to cook asparagus at home. Now we will fill this annoying gap.
In principle, from these delicate stems (according to EU standards, 22 centimeters long) in white and green, you can cook anything from salads to desserts. But before you cook asparagus at home, you need to be able to choose it correctly. If you came to Western Europe from the beginning of April to June 24, go to the market. Asparagus is not stored for a long time. Every day she loses her extremely useful properties. To distinguish between fresh asparagus and stale asparagus, rub the stalks lightly against each other. A quality vegetable makes a quiet creak. Also, the stem should be crowned with a characteristic lump - an underdeveloped flower. The lower woody parts of the plant are sold exclusively for soup.
White asparagus differs from green
asparagus only in that it grew under a black film and did not see the sun. It is considered more tender and tasty. But green is more aromatic and healthy. There are several points to the question of how to cook asparagus properly. The first one is about how to canonically peel these delicate stems. The problem is that the peel covers the bottom of the stems, gradually thinning to the apex. But the bud is not cleaned at all. If we pull the skin like rhubarb, we risk breaking the asparagus. Use a sharp knife to make a circular incision at the top of the stem. Then pry off the peel at the base and cut it thinly.
So, how to cook asparagus at home? It needs to be welded. To the state of "al dente" or complete readiness, it already depends on the prescription. But on the issue of cooking delicate vegetables, there are also their own immutable canons. Asparagus is sold in neatly bundled bundles. After cleaning the delicate stems, pack them as bought. Carefully, so as not to transmit, swaddled in bundles of 8-12 pieces. The stems should be the same height, so cut the sticks too high at the base.
We take a narrow saucepan and pour water so that the beam placed there stands, and the “brushes” are left uncovered by the liquid level. Now we take out the asparagus, and put the dishes on the fire. Add salt, a pinch of sugar and a little butter to the water. When it boils, set the asparagus there. On the question of how to cook asparagus at home, cooking time is a determining factor. It is worth a little gape, and you have not a dish, but a jelly. You will not reach, the stems will be difficult to chew. We stand at the stove with a stopwatch, because green asparagus is cooked exactly five minutes, white - eight.
To stop the heat treatment process with residual heat, immediately dip the beam into ice water. Everything. Now you can cook the sauce and put the stalks there for warming up or cook the asparagus in some other way according to the recipe. Here is another small nuance. How to cook frozen asparagus? Never let her thaw. Just tie the bunch and boil it in water with salt, sugar and butter for ten minutes.