Getting Ready to Cook Asparagus
There are several ways to cook asparagus, steaming and boiling are the most common methods for white asparagus. Roasting is a good method for green asparagus, as in this recipe for Roasted Asparagus with Hazelnuts.
Asparagus pots, which look like tall, narrow spaghetti pots with inserts, allow the asparagus to stand up while cooking. Water is filled only half-way up the stalks and the heads actually steam. The asparagus cooks more evenly that way.
You may also use any pan which has room enough for the asparagus to lie flat in the water and not be bent while boiling.
The water you are cooking the asparagus in usually contains a little butter, salt and a pinch of sugar. If you are using the water as soup stock later, you will use half the salt you would use normally. Here is a detailed recipe for cooking white asparagus.
Serving a simple asparagus dinner to friends and family
As mentioned before, the majority of asparagus is served very simply. For your asparagus dinner, you will need:
- At least one pound (or "Pfund") asparagus per person.
- Melted butter, in a gravy dish or chafing dish.
- Thinly sliced cooked ham or air-dried ham, or both.
- Boiled, new potatoes, about three or four per person.
You may also want to serve with this meal:
- Hollandaise sauce
- Lemon slices
- Cutlets, Wiener Schnitzel or Kassler
- Thin, crepe-like pancakes
Nice serving utensils to have are:
- An oval or rectangular serving dish for the asparagus, preheated.
- Preheated plates.
- Asparagus tongs
- Chafing dish for the butter or sauces
