Four Ways with Asapargus

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I am doing a lot of cooking lately. Like, a LOT of cooking. Like, sleep, fap, work, cook, seriously. As a result of this kind of microscopic level of examination of food, and specifically the Book of Household Management, I am starting to ask a lot of questions. Why is a recipe written a certain way? Does it matter? Would X technique work better?

Due to the season, we have been eating a lot of asparagus. Beeton calls for peeling asparagus, which always seemed an overly-fussy way to present it or deal with woody asparagus, which, YUK. Beeton takes it one step further and instructs the reader to boil the now-nakey stalks with their peels. I don’t think anyone advocates for that nowadays.

It got me to thinking. Would it affect the taste? It was time for some ASAPARGUS SCIENCE! (IENCE-IENCE-IENCE)

I started with your typical pound bunch from the supermarket, not too big and not too leetle. I split them into four piles and trimmed the tough bases evenly. Two piles were peeled, and two were not.

The peels went into one pot per Beeton, and both pots were salted (1 tablespoon per 2 liters). I boiled them for precisely two minutes.

The results were interesting. We all agreed that the peeled ones were sweeter than the ones with skins on. The texture was a little like stewed cucumbers, but you could cut them with a fork, whereas a lot of the time I end up employing a knife too.

What was dicier was discerning between the ones that were boiled with peels and the ones with were boiled without. I think that the peeled ones boiled with peels were the sweetest. I like this. I will probably peel from now on unless they are tiny little whips.

“SCIENCE!”

14 thoughts on “Four Ways with Asapargus”

  1. I love you a little more for doing this. I wonder why boiling with the peels makes them sweeter??

    Okay, but the REAL reason I am commenting is to tell you that we eat tons of asparagus and I never boil it anymore. Want it sweet? Roast it in the oven. A drizzle of olive oil, some salt and pepper, and a HOT oven (375 – 425, depending on whatever else you might be making) until it’s looking a little singed. Delectable!

  2. That sounds AMAZING and I will try it when I am not Victorianing. I have never boiled asparagus in my life til now and I think it is generally appalling. I was a steamer, but I have had asparagus tart and quiche, so I know you speak the truth. Thanks.

  3. I’ve been roasting asparagus since I bought that cookbook Cooking Thin With Chef Kathleen. Terrible title, but very helpful cookbook.

    I’m intrigued by the peeled asparagus boiled with their peelings. WEIRD. But Imma give it a try.

    Tonight I made a ratatouille with homemade vegetable stock. Another tip by Chef Kathleen is to store vegetable ends and leftovers (not cooked) in the freezer till you have enough to make a stock. It turned out well. I also threw in some white beans that I had cooked in a pressure cooker ahead of time and froze in 1qt bags for future use. I am domestic goddess!

  4. We pretty much just grill it, here. Sit for a few in olive oil, salt pepper, maybe some balsamic — then onto the grill. The skinny ones will get pretty charred, but some people (my dude) like that. I like the fat juicy ones best. (yes, still talking about asparagus … or am I?)

    Sometimes we chop it into rounds or inch-ish lengths and toss it in a saute to become a fritatta or another form of pile — the pile being a very important staple of our diet.

  5. Thank you Dr. Asshole for your scientific investigations into asparagus peeling.

  6. MMmmmm….nature’s french fries. What I wouldn’t do to have easy access to fresh asparagus.

    I don’t know what the dealio is here in Florida this year. Asparagus is still like $3.99 per lb. It hasn’t gone down to affordable like it has in the past.

    I usually buy tons of it fresh and roast in the oven. After that, pickled asparagus!

  8. I have never peeled it (lazy) so I am glad that you posted this! I am also a hot-oven roaster (it is so good!) but sometimes I use it IN things, so now I will peel the fat ones. Awesome.

  10. Oh, god, roasted asparagus is the bomb-diggity, but grill totally wins in the summer. It’s like instant awesome. Plus: fire! Who doesn’t love fire?

    The farmer’s market near us has been having a special on these big thick tree trunk asparaguses (asparagii?) and I am now wondering if peeling/boiling them will make them delicious and not terrifying. (I have a deep and abiding fear of boiled vegetables, but yours do not look like the barely recognizable grey asparagus mush my grandmother used to prepare.)

  11. Well, you had better believe that Beeton says to boil them for longer than two minutes! Ugh.

  12. Roasted! Yes. I just tried this and am a convert. Especially if you roast them until the floret ends are dark and crispy. In the same vein: roasted cauliflower! Also best when dark and crispy.

  14. OMG those angry vegans can go fuck themselves. Omnivore sans dilemma, here. Thanks for sharing.

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