Johannistag on June 24 is celebrated in parts of Germany and France as midsummer day (also in honour John the Baptist, but I cannot figure what the two have in common) by lighting huge bonfires.
asparagus field on Bruderholz in Basel
For me it marks the end of the season for the white asparagus, the queen of vegetable, in our region. Where there is an end, there is also a beginning. I really like the anticipation and the long waiting for this delicacy to make its first appearance on the market in April. And the joy of the very first asparagus on my plate, eaten with spring potatoes and some sauce hollandaise. And just when you have this slightly jaded feeling of “enough is enough” or “asparagus – not again!” June 24 knocks at your door and it is time to say goodbye.
I bought the locally grown vegetable on the farmer market in Lörrach, looking forward to the last opportunity to try out a new recipe. Normally I boil the peeled asparagus in plenty of water, laced with some salt, sugar and lemon peel.
Not this time: they went into the oven. You could also try roasting them on the grill.
Oven roasted white asparagus
500g per person (you can always use them the next day in a salad or gently reheat them)
Ingredients
1 pound white asparagus, ends trimmed
1 TS extra-virgin olive oil
1 Lemon (juice and grated zest)
Sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
Method
Wash the white asparagus and trim about 1/2” from the ends
Peel them with a sharp vegetable peeler, starting just below the bud right down to the end
Arrange the asparagus on an aluminium foil (double size) in a single layer (no need to do this when you wrap them tightly in foil)
Add the oil, lemon juice and grated zest, salt and pepper
Tightly wrap them up and let the bundle sit for some time so the aromas will be nicely incorporatedPreheat oven to 245° C (475° F)
Roast just until tender, about 20 – 25 minutes. Check with a knife, they are perfect when you feel some resistance.
all ready to be cleaned, trimmed and peeled
wrap me up!
all wrapped up – now let it soak up all the beautiful aromas
unwrap the jewels and enjoy the beautiful smell
Leftovers on the next day
Bon appétit and until next year!
Comments 21
Look delicious. I’ll have to try them – even though I’m not a white asparagus fan.
Remember once being in Austria in Innsbruck – maybe a bit earlier in the year – when people lit bonfires and rolled them down the hills. Quite a spectacle. Is it the same in Switzerland?
Penelope J For some reason livefyre will not let me post a direct reply. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Hi Penny, thanks, it works equally well with green asparagus, but the cooking time is less, much less. What I really love are the wild green asparagus, prepared in a skillet with olive oil and served with sea salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. So tasty!
I do not think Johannistag is celebrated in Switzerland at all, we used to have bonfires for the national holiday on August 1, beautiful sight standing on top of a mountain (or hill) and seeing all the surrounding lights.
Times have changed: people do not build bonfires or walk up for hours that often, or it has been banned for safety reasons. They light tons of firework, lots of noise and clouds of burning substance (phosphor?), nauseating smell that lingers and pollutes for hours. I guess it is a global thing …
O my looks awesome.
babfari Hi Barbara, absolutely and to think it is so easy to prepare!
Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!
Sounds Yummy I Love asparagus
CarlyAlyssaThorne Hi Carly,
Thanks for stopping by, so you are an asparagus lover, too, great! Do you have a preference for green or white asparagus or any special recipes? I would love to hear your favourite recipe!
Have a great weekend!
Oooo…lovely. I love asparagus simply griddled with lemon juice and black pepper 🙂
Lucylastica2 Hi Lucy, lovely to see you here. I often wonder how you are doing when I look at my plants (plants? – a little bit more than seedlings!), how are you faring in England? Your chilis? Mine have not blossomed yet, I can probably harvest them at Christmas time!
But no complaining: today it is sunny and the weather forecast rather promising for the next days and then: back to winter!
Anyways, have a great weekend!
Late_Bloomers
I’m well Barbara. Busy packing books in to boxes as we’re moving back to Durham in a couple of weeks. I often pop by for a read, but am finally taking the time to catch up and be a bit more interactive 🙂
My chilli plants were caught by disease, but my tomatoes and peas are doing well. Just need to figure out how to move them back with us aswell :-/
Today is the first glorious summer day…though I’ve whispered that as don’t want to tempt fate!
Have a great weekend yourself x
Lucylastica2 This is great news! And moving always presents an opportunity to get rid of a lot of things we do not really need. I should move as well! I keep looking for stuff and cannot remember where I put it … sucks big time!
Knock three times on wood! I love being superstitious and I avoid saying “those clouds look mighty teary.” Bum, within five minutes it will pour!
Have fun packing (I am a tiny bit envious!) and enjoy the sunshine!
I love asparagus. Boiled, grilled, I just love them!
JSJ2020 Hi Muriel, you just reminded me of another recipe which I did not make this year, boiled asparagus with nutty butter and grated parmigiano! Well, only another nine months to wait …
Thanks and have a wonderful week!
That’s so unfair, Barbara! What I loved most about all my years in Europe was having fresh produce from the local farmers only during certain times of year. Same with the endive and other delicate veggies. And, oh, the flavor! Your images make my mouth water. Next year, next year … 😉
sharonoday Hi, Sharon, if this is unfair I love being unfair and make you come back to Europe for a visit! Do come and we can cook together!
Strawberries and cherries are now at their peak and I always buy far too much, they are best eaten fresh but I have just pureed some strawberries, put some cherries in the freezer (whole, stems removed, in single layer) and tomorrow I will go back to the market to pick up 10 kg of gherkins for honey pickles.
Thank you so much for generously sharing and I will catch up in the next days!
Yummm! I love (green) asparagus, but have yet to try the white ones! I love what you wrote about endings and beginnings, Barbara. It’s an insight we all need to be reminded of. Enjoy the rest of the season! :-))
jpage.manuel Hi, Joy, lovely to see you and thank you! The white asparagus has a finer taste, some call it the queen of vegetables and rather labour intensive. Normally we have migrant workers for the harvesting, back breaking work, bending down and cutting the hidden stems. Another aspect worthy of respecting when eating it! I love cycles.
The only time I have had fresh white asparagus is in Germany 🙂 Oven roasting sounds perfect!
tandysinclair Hi, Tandy, the typical European countries for white asparagus seem to be France and Germany, but earlier in the year we also get them from Greece or even further away Chile or Peru. But I refrain from indulging and wait for the locally grown! I wonder whether white asparagus is not grown in SA as well?
Late_Bloomers I have not seen fresh white asparagus that has been locally grown for a very long time. But that could be because of where we live 🙂
tandysinclair Late_Bloomers Might be worth a try! From the little that I know about growing asparagus you need a sandy soil, moderate temps (you do get those in spring, no?) and lots of hours invested in looking after them! 🙂