Spargelzeit ()
My favorite season in Germany thus far is spring. Apartfrom the amiable weather and re-opening of outdooractivities, it is also when you will see more stalls sell-ing fresh produce and flowers. April to June is prime time for a tasty vegetable that I hadn’t tried until I got to Germany: white asparagus or “weißer Spargel.” It has a sweeter flavor than green asparagus and can be quite tender, especially if you opt for the premium quality harvest. Here are a few dishes you must try that bring this delicately delicious “white gold” to new heights.
White Asparagus Soup
If you love a recipe that is hard to mess up, why not prepare these spears to be pureed into a flavorful soup? One might mistake it on sight for potato soup but will quickly find a creamy smoothness that goes quite well with a nice crusty bread. It’s also a great excuse to use fresh herbs as a garnish on top.
A Sausage has Two adapted a fantastic 6-serving recipe:
https://www.asausagehastwo.com/white-asparagus-cream-soup/
Roasted White Asparagus
The classic way you will find white asparagus being served in German restaurants is as simple as possible. Roasted or pan-fried with butter, then blanketed with one of two well-known sauce variations:
Hollandaise Sauce: Egg yolks combined with butter, lemon and fresh herbs (like chives) with salt and pepper. Perfect for eggs and, of course, asparagus.
Bearnaise Sauce: Also egg yolks with butter, but with white wine, shallots, tarragon and chervil. Great for grilled meat or fish, too.
A plant-based option I have also tried drizzled over the top of roasted asparagus is a Tahini-Lemon sauce from the website Elle Republic: https://ellerepublic.de/en/roasted-white-asparagus-with-tahini-lemon-sauce/
White Asparagus Salad
This salad with a zingy vinaigrette is a great chilled dish to serve on a warm day, using eggs and a generous sprinkle of chives.
Cooking the World has an easy-to-follow recipe: https://cooking-the-world.com/white-asparagus-salad-recipe/
Better yet, check out Cooking the World’s video on the best way to work with this beautiful vegetable here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ddazXPVpwU
