Cooking Asparagus: Healthy and easy recipes

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is a plant from the Mediterranean, was part of the food of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Besides having a distinctive taste and being used in various dishes, asparagus have medicinal properties and are highly beneficial to health, being very useful, on the other hand, in diets to lose weight naturally due to its nutritional properties and composition. They are rich in vitamins A and vitamins B, E, C. They also contain minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium and magnesium. It is rich in antioxidants.

Cream of Asparagus

Ingredients (2 servings):

• Tails of a bunch of asparagus
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 big potato
• Flour to thicken (if necessary)
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 tablet of vegetables
• Water

Preparation

1. Chop the garlic and onion.
2. Sauté garlic and onion in oil in a saucepan and add the tails of the asparagus.
3. Add the vegetable tablet and water. Add the potatoes and add a little salt.
4. When the potato is cooked, remove it and crush everything except potatoes. Drain the crushed water, add the potatoes and blend with the broth.
5. If it becomes somewhat liquid, thicken with flour.

Asparagus Salad

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 100 gr. of extra-fine pickle
• A handful of capers
• 300 gr. of tomatoes
• 2 red peppers
• 300 gr. of extra fine green beans
• 350g of green asparagus
• 4 lettuce buds
• 1 lemon
• Salt
• White pepper
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• Olive oil3cs
• Sherry vinegar 1CS

Preparation

1. Boil with steam green beans and asparagus. Do not cook much, it is best to leave a little raw to avoid losing all their properties.
2. Preheat the oven.
3. In a baking dish, put a little water, put the peppers and add over a little salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
4. Put the peppers in the oven (220 °) for 15 or 20 minutes.
5. Turn them over and leave another 15 minutes.
6. Tip: when the oven is off, do not open immediately. Let the peppers "sweat" a bit. It will be much easier to peel later.
7. While the peppers are done, chop the cucumber and tomatoes into quarters. Prepare the vinaigrette in a bowl, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, season, add a splash of vinegar and chopped parsley. Wash and cut in half the lettuce.
8. Remove the skin from the peppers and seeds and cut into slices.
9. In a bowl, spread the hearts of lettuce and tomatoes. Sprinkle with gherkins and capers. Then add the green beans, peppers and asparagus.
10. Add the vinaigrette and serve.

Sautéed Asparagus

Ingredients

• 60 g of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of rock salt
• ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bunch fresh  asparagus (stems trimmed)

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook garlic in butter for a minute being careful not to brown.
2. Add asparagus and cook for few minutes, turning. Do not overcook. And it’s done!

Asparagus in Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of asparagus cooked in a natural way
• Whole flour
• Egg, beaten
• Chopped parsley
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Olive oil or sunflower oil for frying
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large chopped onion
• A large glass of broth  from cooking asparagus
• Pinch of flour
• Salt

Procedure

1. Make the sauce. In wide saucepan, place oil and onions over low heat with a pinch of salt. Cook, but take the time to get color and it is tender, add a pinch of flour and let it cook without burning.
2. Then, slowly pour the broth until we obtain a connected smooth sauce. Season lightly. For this sauce you can add a few tablespoons of tomato sauce or stew sauce. Also you can add some diced ham.
3. Pass asparagus lightly with flour and beaten which is mixed with garlic and chopped parsley. Fry in plenty of oil over medium heat and drain on absorbent paper.

Cold Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg of asparagus, peeled and stripped of their hard bases, finely chopped
• 12 tablespoons of cream
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 pinch of sugar
• 1 pinch of salt

Procedure:

1. Boil plenty of lightly salted water, adding a pinch of sugar. Add finely chopped asparagus and boil again, then drain.
2. Put them back into the same pot, and pour the broth drained. Cook over low heat and boil for about 15 minutes, seasoning lightly.
3. Blend the soup using a powerful blender. Meanwhile, mix egg yolks with 6 tablespoons of cream. Add to the batter and continue a few seconds until it is completely bound. The fire will be very smooth, rolling back the soup without letting it boil. Just to take the tip temperature to thicken and emulsify the soup.
4. We strain, cool it well and add the remaining 6 tablespoons cream, beating again to make it very thin. If necessary add a pinch of sugar and serve cold.
5. Accompany it with toasted bread croutons, cubes of ham or cheese Burgos. If served with a sautéed asparagus, is great as well. 

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