Asparagus is all white

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Posted at 3:07PM, 17 April 2008 by Mary Cadogan - Food writer

For the last couple of weeks, root veggies, cabbage and all those other lovely winter veggies have started to lose their appeal and I have had a yearning for something new to tempt me. So when I strolled up the village this morning to buy my veggies from Thierry, our village fruit and veg man, the arrival of new season's asparagus was thrilling.

No green spears in this region, however. Here in the Charente only white asparagus is grown and you'd have to go as far south as Montpelier to get locally grown green spears. I'd grown up with green asparagus, so my first few attempts at cooking the white were a disaster. What I didn't know (but do now) is that white asparagus takes at least twice as long to cook as green.

My absolute favourite is warm spears dressed with a mustardy vinaigrette then scattered with thinly sliced Spanish ham...

I would steam green spears for 3-5 minutes depending on their thickness, but the white needs a good 10-15 minutes cooking. The taste is also quite different - it has a milder, more delicate flavour, with a hint of nuttiness. The spears also tend to be a bit fatter and chunkier, and it's a good idea to peel them. It is grown under mounds of soil to protect it from the light which would turn it green, and the spears are usually harvested early in the morning before the sun can spoil their milky white colour.

The season is short, running from Mid April until early June. If you want to try white asparagus, the good news is that this year for the first time it is being grown in the UK, and will be available from M&S. Flavour partners include anything nutty, such as walnut or hazelnut oil, truffle shavings and anything salty. I love scattering the warm spears with a few salty little shrimps or crispy lardons. But my absolute favourite is warm spears dressed with a mustardy vinaigrette, then scattered with thinly sliced Spanish ham such as Jamon Serrano, or even better jamon jabugo.

Comments

pelisa

17 April 2008, 10:46PM
pelisa

In Germany, we mostly eat the white variety. Good quality asparagus spears must at least have a diameter of 12 millimeters, the thicker, the better. A sign of good quality asparagus is a squeaky noise, when you rub the spears together. The tips must be firm and closed. Before cooking, cut off a few centimeters of the thick end, peel the spears (not the tips!), then tie them carefully together. The spears should stand upright in a tall, slim pot. Add salt, sugar and a bit of butter to the water and take care that the tips are not immersed. Cook them at medium heat 8 - 15 minutes, depending on thickness of spears and personal taste. In Bavaria, we serve white asparagus traditionally with Sauce Hollandaise and new potatoes.

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Gbobs

18 April 2008, 12:06PM
Gbobs

I love green asparagus and eat it often. In Spain in restaurants have often had white but have always been disappointed in that they have been watery (wonder if possibly tinned) anyway that has always put me off white asparagus. Will definitely have to try it and see if the fresh stuff is better!

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Katrien

19 April 2008, 7:01PM
Katrien

I am pleased to read that I will be able to buy white asparagus now! I like the green ones too, but find the white ones have a more subtle taste. I like the suggestion of combining them with Serrano ham. My 2 favourites are a simple starter: "a la flamande", with melted butter and crushed hard-boiled egg sprinkled over the spears, and a creamy soup. They also go well with scallops in bacon.

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Carol

20 April 2008, 11:07AM
Carol

We had our first English asparagus this week and it was lovely, much more taste than the asparagus from Peru or Thailand. I am looking forward to eating the French asparagus too as we are off to Charente (via Normandy & Noirmoutier next week and I will make a point of looking for the white spears on the menus there.

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jillie100

20 April 2008, 4:00PM
jillie100

Here in Dutch Limburg we grow the big thick white asparagus too, and I must say, once I had worked out how long to cook it and that I needed to peel the lower part of the stalks, I much prefer it to the green. The season is about to start, and it is such a treat to stop at a roadside stall at the edge of the aparagus field and buy a kilo on the way home! Usually the first meal we eat outside in the spring is asparagus, hollandaise, softly poached eggs, local ham and new potatoes. YUM!

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Gregg

20 April 2008, 6:07PM
Gregg

Sadly only us and the Italians like our grass green. It's hard enough to grow the stuff without blanching it in the earth as well! Why would anybody want white?

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