Asparagus
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Trim asparagus stalks to the same length and tie in equal-sized bundles with twine.
Fill a large stewpan halfway with water and add coarse sea salt.
Boil and serve
Bring the water to a boil, skim it, and add the asparagus.
Leave the lid off and boil gently until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Drain well and serve on toast.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Asparagus
- Is the main vegetable; cooking softens its fibrous stalks until tender.
The step that matters
Leave the lid off and boil gently until tender. Keeping the lid off lets volatile compounds escape, which helps keep the asparagus green and fresh-tasting. A gentle boil cooks the stalks evenly without breaking up the tips.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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