Asparagus: How to Choose and Prepare

A useful article about what kind of asparagus to buy and how to cook it.

Although the fresh asparagus season is very short, it's still worth trying to enjoy its freshness and flavor. Asparagus can be used in a variety of dishes, from delicious soups to risottos. It's not sold everywhere, but you can find it in large stores in major cities.

Asparagus is most delicious when freshly picked. Whether you buy small stalks or giant ones, always make sure they are firm and juicy, not dry and wrinkled. Avoid stalks with discolored areas, cuts, or slimy tips.

If you buy whole stems, make sure the buds are tightly attached to them.

However, if there are no other stems on sale except the wilted ones, you can buy them and make a delicious soup from them.

The less time it takes for asparagus to travel from the grower's fields or greenhouses to your plate, the better its flavor. If you grow asparagus locally, consider yourself lucky. Asparagus imported from abroad is rarely as fresh.

Preparation

Some people say that asparagus must be cooked in a steamer. That's not true. A regular saucepan will do.

Wash the stems in a sink filled with cold water. If the bottom of the stem seems too tough, trim it off. Place the stems in a pot of boiling water and cook until tender. Depending on the thickness of the stems, cooking time will range from 3 to 5 minutes.

When the asparagus is done, drain the water and dry the stalks on a paper towel.

If you serve asparagus cold, it will taste better if you place it on paper towels while it's hot and let it cool naturally rather than dropping it into cold water to cool it.

Fresh, tender asparagus can also be eaten raw. To do this, peel it into very thin slices with a vegetable peeler and use it in a salad with a lemony dressing. It's especially delicious fresh. white asparagus.