Crunchy Green Asparagus and Red Onions
It's almost the end of April and the week of the openings of Biennale Arte 2024 is over. The weather was great during those days, the temperature had risen perhaps too much as it seemed summer already. I am aware that such a thermal excursion is not normal, but I will confess I was happy the cold had gone.
I was so happy that I changed my winter wardrobe to my summer wardrobe and bought three filters for my camera: a UV filter, a polarizer and an ND filter for long exposures in the scorching sun, as from the photographic point of view, I am not fond of such harsh light. I had even bought a big hat to protect myself from the sun! In short... I was ready for summer. But I was wrong...
On the day of the official opening of Biennale everything changed so quickly! A decrease of almost 15 degrees in temperature, strong wind and pouring rain! What a disappointment!
Personally, in the last 3 years my perception is that not only we don't have a real spring or autumn anymore, but that both winter and summer seem to last forever. Long, interminable seasons that exhaust me. I remember last August when I couldn't wait for cooler days, and now... I can't take the cold anymore!
Thank goodness we have delicious spring produce to console us! Lots of asparagus, artichokes and wild herbs. The predominant color at the market right now is green, color of hope and -of course- the color of my mother's country: Ireland! Here below, you can find a simple recipe for a delicious side dish: green asparagus tossed in the pan with red onions sautéed with cider vinegar and made nice and crunchy by breadcrumbs and crushed almonds. I pre-steamed the asparagus to make them tender and used the water not only in this recipe, but also for a risotto. You can always pour it into a bottle and store it in the freezer for future use.
RECIPE
CRUNCHY GREEN ASPARAGUS AND RED ONIONS
Ingredients:
500 gr green asparagus
3 small red onions
1 clove of garlic
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp crushed almonds
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
e.v.o.oil
Method:
Pre-steam the asparagus. Put them over a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes, turn the heat off and leave on top for another 5 minutes.
Peel and roughly chop the red onions, crush a clove of garlic and pour a little bit of e.v.o.oil on a pan. Heat and when it starts to pop add the crushed clove of garlic and the red onions. Stir for a minute, cover the pan and lower the heat.
After 2/3 minutes, remove the garlic, and add a few drops of the asparagus water and the cider vinegar. Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes, then add the asparagus. Increase the heat, sprinkle the breadcrumbs and almonds on the veg and toss everything.
Serve hot.
