Asparagus are typical spring vegetables, so we find them fresh in April, May and June. They are very suitable for those on a diet and therefore in time for the costume rehearsal. They are also natural diuretics and depurative of the body. They have very few calories, about 25 per 100 grams and are rich in fiber, vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. The only contraindications are for those suffering from kidney disorders, cystitis, and kidney stones, because they contain uric acid that can increase infections already in place. You can also find wild asparagus, which are much tastier than cultivated asparagus and also much more nutritious. They can be found in uncultivated meadows, clearings and forests up to a height of 1300 meters. They are very common in central-southern Italy, but can be found almost everywhere in Italy except Piedmont, Val d’Aosta and Trentino Alto Adige. But let us now turn to the recipes that are really many and very good.
First of all, generally for almost all recipes, the asparagus must first be boiled and then after cleaning them by removing the white part that is woody, they must be washed, equalized and tied with a thread of refe. They should be cooked in a rather high and narrow pot with salted water that should not reach the tips and should be cooked for about 10 minutes, so very al dente. Once untied they are ready to be used in our recipes.
Appetizer with asparagus: Asparagus with boiled eggs.
Needed for asparagus with boiled eggs:
1 kg of asparagus
6 hard-boiled eggs
about one deciliter of olive oil
vinegar, salt and pepper as needed.
Preparation of asparagus with boiled eggs:
After cleaning and boiling the asparagus, cooking them for about 15 minutes, prepare the sauce, beating the seed oil with a drop of vinegar and a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Arrange the asparagus on a serving plate, sprinkle the tips with the oil and vinegar sauce and serve accompanied by boiled eggs, each divided into 4 parts.
Asparagus omelette
This preparation can be used both as an appetizer and as a side dish for the second course.
Needed for the asparagus omelette
Kilograms 1 of asparagus
8 eggs
50 grams of grated pecorino cheese
a bunch of chopped parsley
olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of asparagus omelette
After cleaning and boiling the asparagus, as explained at the beginning of the article, roughly chop them and add them to the beaten eggs with cheese and chopped parsley. Adjust salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a frying pan with a drizzle of oil and cook the omelette until the eggs are perfectly cured, turning it at least once. Serve hot.
Now let’s move on to the first courses.
Risotto with asparagus
Needed for risotto with asparagus:
350 grams of asparagus already cleaned, cut and boiled
400 grams of rice
1 small chopped onion
30 grams of butter
half glass of dry white wine
1 liter of hot vegetable broth
two tablespoons of chopped parsley
olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
For mantecare:
80 grams of butter
100 grams of grated Parmesan Reggiano Reggiano cheese
Preparation of risotto with asparagus
Once you have prepared the asparagus as recommended, cut the tips leaving them whole and the edible part cut it into slices of about 1 centimeter. In a fairly large saucepan, brown the onion in a little olive oil and butter. When the onion has withered, add the asparagus washers. Add the rice and let it toast slightly, pour in the white wine and when it has evaporated, add small amounts of very hot broth until the rice is cooked. When cooked add the butter and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve very hot, dusting with chopped parsley and asparagus tips.
Carbonara monferrina with asparagus
Needed for carbonara monferrina with asparagus:
500 grams of egg noodles
250 grams of asparagus, already cleaned and boiled
100 grams of diced smoked bacon
2 eggs
30 grams of butter
1 clove of garlic
50 centiliters of cooking cream
60 grams of Parmesan Reggiano cheese
50 grams of toma cheese or ricotta
olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation of carbonara monferrina with asparagus:
Prepare the asparagus, cleaned and boiled, then cut the tips and keep them aside and cut the soft part of the stem into small washers. In a saucepan put 3 tablespoons of olive oil with the butter and the crushed garlic clove (it will be removed once cooked). When the garlic is golden brown add the diced smoked bacon and as soon as the bacon is browned add the asparagus stalks and cook them covered for about 10 minutes, adding if necessary a little water from the pasta cooking. Adjust salt and pepper. Now prepare the sauce by melting the toma cheese or ricotta together with the cream. Apart from beating the eggs, add the grated cheese and freshly ground pepper. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Once drained, put the pasta in the casserole with the bacon and asparagus always keeping it on low heat. Add the toma sauce and cream, the asparagus tips and mix well to mix all the ingredients. Remove from the heat and add the eggs with the cheese. Serve hot.
Florentine Asparagus
Needed for Florentine asparagus:
1 kg of asparagus already cleaned and boiled
30 grams of butter
two or three tablespoons of oil
6 whole eggs
parmesan cheese in flakes, olive oil, salt and pepper as needed
Preparation of Florentine asparagus:
In a rather large saucepan, melt the butter with the oil. Add the asparagus left whole, adjust salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggs left whole, trying not to break the yolk. Salt and pepper only on the egg yolk and try to cook the egg white between the asparagus. Lower the heat, and covered let it cook for a couple of minutes, until the egg white has solidified. Serve very hot with a few flakes of Parmesan cheese.
Savory cake with asparagus
Needed for the salty cake with asparagus:
1 sheet of ready-made puff pastry or brisee (found in all supermarkets)
250 grams of asparagus already cleaned, cut and boiled.
300 grams of ricotta cheese (you can also use other types of cheese such as gorgonzola or spreadable cheese)
2 eggs
50 grams of grated Parmesan Reggiano Reggiano cheese
olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of nutmeg.
Preparation of the salty cake with asparagus:
In a bowl break the eggs, add the ricotta and Parmesan cheese and mix well. Adjust salt and pepper, nutmeg and two-three tablespoons of olive oil. Add to the sauce the asparagus cut into small pieces and mix well. Put the sheet of puff pastry or brisee in a cake tin lined with baking paper, roll it out well leaving it high on the edges, so that once you put the filling, it remains higher. Put the filling, level it all and put it in the oven already hot at 180 degrees for 30 minutes. The salted asparagus cake is good both hot and cold and can be eaten the day after.
Asparagus Lasagne
Needed for asparagus lasagne:
250 grams of egg pasta in sheets of about 20 by 15 centimeters (you can find them ready in all supermarkets)
about 350 grams of asparagus, cleaned, cut and boiled, then chopped into small pieces.
500 grams of ready-made béchamel
100 grams of grated parmesan cheese.
Preparation of asparagus lasagne:
In a buttered baking pan, put a couple of spoonfuls of béchamel sauce, on top we put the sheet pasta that must cover the surface perfectly, season with asparagus and other béchamel sauce, spreading it all over the surface, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Continue as described until the end of the ingredients. On the last layer put plenty of grated Parmesan Reggiano Reggiano. Put in already hot oven at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes, until a golden crust forms on the surface. Serve hot. A very tasty variation to this lasagne is to add diced ham and pieces of mozzarella to the layers.
