As the months warm up and different vegetables appear in our supermarkets, your client may ask you to cook asparagus for them. Asparagus comes in cans which makes it easy to use, either hot or cold, but there are different types of fresh asparagus which you may want to try.
Asparagus comes in three colours, namely green, white and purple. The purple type is less common so you may not see this very often.
Green asparagus is by far the most common type, and this comes in thin, medium or very fat spears. Green asparagus should be cooked al dente.
White asparagus is more common in Europe, and you will mostly find this in jars or cans in the UK.
Note: the thickness of the asparagus does not indicate the maturity of the vegetable and thin spears will not ever grow into fat spears. It is simply a matter of personal taste to choose thick or thin spears.
Thin spears are perfect for sauteing and in stir fry meals, while fat spears are perfect for steaming, roasting and grilling.
You should ideally snap off the bottoms of the spears as these are woody and tough even when cooked. Although this will give you spears of different lengths, it will ensure that they are all the same tenderness.
To snap the spears, you need to hold the spear with one hand at each end, find the natural bending spot and then snap the spear. The spear should snap at the point where it has started to become dry and lose moisture.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Snap the spears and lay on a baking sheet
Sprinkle lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper
Keep in a single layer and roast until lightly brown and sizzling, about 10 to 12 minutes
Aim to have your spears nicely coloured without overcooking them. They will continue to cook after you have removed them from the oven so err on slightly undercooked.
Season with red pepper flakes, cayenne, grated Parmesan, or balsamic vinegar.
You can season grilled or baked asparagus with anything that takes your fancy or keep them simply seasoned with salt and pepper. If they are not overcooked, they will be delicious whichever way you cook them.
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