The boiled asparagus are simple to prepare, a recipe for a quick and tasty side dish. Cooked asparagus is the starting point for many dishes.
Below: the cooking time in water or steam, how to season boiled asparagus, how to present them in a salad, and more. Here are my recipes with asparagus.
HARVEST season for #greenasparagus – from mid March to June.
RECIPES with asparagus
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Spring
- Energy 41.50 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 8.05 (g) of which sugars 3.90 (g)
- Proteins 4.57 (g)
- Fat 0.25 (g) of which saturated 0.08 (g)of which unsaturated 0.10 (g)
- Fibers 4.36 (g)
- Sodium 4.15 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 185 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
BOILED Asparagus RECIPE
- 2.2 lbs asparagus
Tools
- 1 Asparagus Steamer
Boiled Asparagus
Clean the asparagus
First, use a peeler to remove the fibrous lower part of the spears, then cut off the tough, woody end of each asparagus with a knife. Wash them well.
If the asparagus is long, you can use the lower and tougher part for preparing a risotto or cook it in pieces (or slices) in a pan for pasta sauce.
Asparagus scraps can be saved to add to vegetable broth.
How to cook asparagus?
Which pot to choose? Besides the classic asparagus pot (the taller, the better), you can use a tall pressure cooker (as I do) or a wide pan, where you can lay the asparagus, perhaps over a steaming basket.
Cooking time?
The cooking time varies based on the size (thickness) of the asparagus
– in boiling water or steam, from 7 to 15 minutes
– in a pressure cooker, from 5 to 8 minutes after the whistle
When in doubt, cook a few more minutes, the asparagus will break but will be softer and less fibrous.
Cooking in a PAN (two techniques)
– Boil the asparagus until tender and then sauté them in a pan with oil, garlic, and chili pepper
– Cut the asparagus into pieces and sauté them in a pan with onion sauté
Cooking in MICROWAVE
Lay the asparagus on a slightly concave plate, then pour a little water, cover with the microwave lid and cook for 5 – 7 minutes at 750W – 800W.
Or better, use the microwave steamer basket.
How to season them?
Boiled asparagus is delicious with salt, extra virgin olive oil, and lemon (or orange) juice.
Great pairing with eggs, in all its variants.
STORING boiled asparagus
Boiled asparagus can be kept for one day at room temperature, or up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
What is asparagus cooking water good for?
As with all other vegetables, their cooking water absorbs the properties and is therefore a concentrate of minerals and vitamins. You can use it to cook rice, pasta, or generally as a substitute for plain water in various savory preparations.
Alternatively, you can use it to water plants and the garden.
