Buonissimi asparagus! Usually they are harvested in late March, so we are almost at the height of their seasonality.

The edible part of the asparagus is called turion, sprout that develops from an underground stem said rhizome, and is colored White until it comes to the surface. In contact with the light the turion becomes green, more or less intense, rosy is Violet, depending on variety and cultivation technique. For example, white shoots are generally obtained from green varieties that are not exposed to light. The turion, the edible part of asparagus, it is usually tender and fleshy, with a pleasant sweetish taste.

Between whites, the best known are those of Pescia, Cesena, Bibione, Terlano, Rivoli Veronese, di Bassano Dop, of Cimadolmo (IGP). Among those with a very lightened tip, the white of Holland, Germany, Sile and the big Erfurt.

Among the green turione varieties are the so-called asparagus Californian, as the Mary Washington and the Brock-Imperial 84, very common and also used for freezing. Also green is the asparagus that is grown in the Bolognese plain of Altedo and that obtained the Igp.

The variety it produces has a more rustic flavor violet shoots such as the early Tuscan and the Early and Late of Argenteuil, a city in northern France famous for its asparagus since the days of the Sun King; with an inimitable perfume and flavor, buttery and soft violet of Albenga – Slow Food Presidium, recognizable by the very large shoots and the intense color that fades down towards the base – and the Neapolitan, the latter completely purplish.

Among the spontaneous species, thefield asparagus, also called wild is that of wood. Field asparagus sprouts are quite common and are harvested from April to May. I'm thin, dark green with purple tips, with an intense, almost bitterish flavor; therefore they are ideal ingredients for the preparation of risotto, lasagna, quiche oe even Pancake.
L'forest asparagus it grows in the maquis and is included in the set of shoots called in the Veneto with the name of bruscandoli.

Asparagus are ideal for the preparation of soups, soups, creams, omelettes, omelets, risotto, but they are also simply delicious boiled or sauteed with butter, seasoned with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon or served with fried eggs.
The tips, if very fresh and thinly cut, they can also be eaten raw in carpaccio and salads.

Tips for buying and storing:

• 1 Asparagus must be hard, the tips they must not have scales at the base but they must be sodas and well closed; if they are bellied it means that the asparagus is not fresh.

2 • Also stems they must turn out well firm, must not be empty or broken, and must have a round and never flattened section; if they are soft to the touch, it means that they have already been collected for some time.

3 • Great importance also has final part of the stems, where the asparagus have been cut: this section must not appear too woody or dry otherwise it means that they are not fresh.

4 • To find out if the asparagus are fresh, smell them: as soon as they are picked they have no smell

5 • For store better, immediately after the purchase you have the asparagus in a bowl with cold water, covered with a wet cloth, and transfer them to a cool place or to the less cold compartment of the refrigerator.

Cleaning and cooking

The size of the asparagus also determines cleaning and cooking: if they are a lot thin just gently scrape the stems and then rinse well under cold running water before cooking.

If not, if they are thick, you have to scrape them with a potato peeler starting from 3-4 cm below the tips; then they must be aligned on the work surface and the wood end of the stem must be cut at the same height.

Yes wash then under cold running water and yes they cook "standing" in special high and round pots, where they are positioned tied to bunches and with the tips riots upward, in boiling and slightly salted water which must not exceed three quarters of the stems. You can also blanch them in a saucepan or, better, cook them in the pan vapor.
Watch out for cooking times determined by the thickness of the asparagus – usually it should not exceed 10 minutes – bearing in mind that they must be firm, al dente and not too yielding.

Don't throw the pieces cut from the stems, the broken parts or excessively large and scaly shoots, but fry them in a pan with a drizzle of oil and leek, bathing them with a little boiling vegetable broth or water; therefore frullateli and keep the mousse in a glass jar in the refrigerator or in closed trays in the freezer: it will be an excellent base for countless preparations.

of Monica Pilotto
March 10, 2016
updated on March 18 2020
by Barbara Roncarolo