Many cooks shy away from white asparagus because they don't know cook it properly. White asparagus is much the same as the regular green variety and if you prepare it in the right way, it becomes a versatile and delicious vegetable.
Instructions
1. Make a small cut in the spear about half an inch from the bottom. Use a very sharp knife to take off the outer peel by cutting upward from the bottom in smooth pieces. The tough peel can be time consuming to remove but makes for a much softer and better tasting flesh. Repeat the peeling process until all spears are peeled.
2. Gather together about 6 spears of roughly equal length and width and tie them in a loose bunch with the kitchen string. Don't pull too tightly so that the water can still get in between the cracks to cook evenly.
3. Boil a pan of water big enough to house the spear bunches easily. You can leave the bunches in just plain water, or add a tbsp. of vinegar and salt and pepper or lemon juice to taste.
4. Take the fattest and largest spear bunches first as these will take longer to cook and wait a couple of minutes before adding the thinner bunches. How long you cook the asparagus for depends on how "al dente" you like it, so anywhere between 3 and 10 minutes, depending on the size of the spears.
5. Serve the asparagus immediately as a side vegetable or add to other recipes to create a hearty soup or salad base. When white asparagus is tender, you can substitute it for green asparagus in most recipes, but many chefs particularly recommend this variety with citrus flavors and pepper.
Tags: from bottom, spear bunches