I definitely love this period of the year, when seasonal vegetables such as wild Asparagines are harvesting, which are an exaltation of essential spring flavors.
With its ancient origins – it seems that it was consumed by the ancient Egyptians more than 2000 years ago – Asparagus, with its tall and slender stem, is a vegetable with a delicate flavor that has always been associated with the arrival of spring. In Italy, asparagus is available from March to mid-June.
Given their low-fat content and the presence of potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamins, asparagus is often recommended in low-calorie diets. It only has 29 calories per 100 grams.
It also has properties such as purifying and diuretic and anti-anemic, but above all – not everyone is aware of it – it contains tryptophan, aka the hormone responsible for good humor.
There are many variations to use asparagus in cooking, although I prefer the less elaborate ones that leave its sweet flavor intact.
Today, I magically found Asparagines (i.e the wild asparagus) on my trusted market at an acceptable price. Asparagines are a special variety of asparagus, that grow in a spontaneous way, which have the characteristic of being thinner and with a more intense and decisive flavor.
The recipe that I propose to you an enticing for Oven-roasted Asparagines that I have enjoyed by soaking them in a creamy Avocado Sauce.
I decided to cook the asparagines oven-roasted, to fully enhance the strong flavor of the servant and so as not to dissolve the nutrients in the water. Anyway, another good way (but not crunchy) to preserve the characteristics is to steam the Asparagines.
Freshness and crunchiness for the palate, lots of taste and very few calories!
Oven-Roasted Asparagines with Avocado Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 500 g asparagines
- 2 sp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 pinches of pepper
- 1 lime juice
- ½ avocado
- 1 shallot
- 1 pinch of paprika
Instructions
Take your bunch of asparagines and cut the final part (usually 3/4 cm) which remains hard and stringy even when cooked.
(Do not trash the stems because it can be recovered to make a good vegetable broth or flavor the water for the pasta).
Soak the asparagines in cold water, but be careful not to handle them too much because they are delicate and the tips break easily (if you want, you can use a baking soda for a deep cleaning).
Prepare an oven-proof casserole lined with parchment paper, then pour 2 tablespoons of oil, 4 tablespoons of water, salt, pepper and paprika in it and mix a little.
Drain the asparagines and place them in the casserole, stirring them gently to make the seasoning go on everyone.
Sprinkle the juice of half a lime on the tips of the asparagines.
Bake in a static oven at 180 for about 20 minutes or until the Asparagines seems well cooked and the surface well roasted.
While cooking, prepare the sauce.
Mash the avocado with a fork. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime and together with a pinch of salt add the avocado.
Chop the shallot and pour it into the cream, then add a splash of nutmeg and mix everything until you have a thick and smooth cream.
Once the asparagines are cooked, serve lukewarm by pouring the sauce over the tips.
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