In my youth, during the summer holidays, we would visit my grandparents and family each year in my father's birthplace; Los Prados de Armijo. This village is nestled among olive groves and split by a valley, allowing you to take a (uphill) walk to the other side via a winding road around the valley. Walking past my uncle's goats and chickens, I vividly remember rosemary and asparagus growing wild along the roadside. Because of that memory, it might be one of my favorite vegetables that really suits almost everything.
At home in the Netherlands, I unfortunately have to buy asparagus at the supermarket or market. In my own kitchen, I can transform them into a healthy side dish for, for example, meat or fish.
One of the cooking techniques I regularly use is "sous-vide" cooking, which means cooking under water. In a vacuum-sealed airtight bag, you can cook food to the correct core temperature with an accuracy of a tenth of a degree. For green asparagus, I do this at 84 degrees Celsius for 14 minutes. This is an optional step in the preparation; my experience is that the asparagus then remains very well intact. Afterwards, the plastic bags go neatly with the PMD waste.
In this dish, I use olive oil in two ways. I rub the asparagus with olive oil to conduct the heat well during grilling, and I finish the dish by drizzling extra virgin olive oil over it for some extra kick. Extra virgin is the Italian name for the same quality: cold-pressed oil from the first pressing.
For this dish, you will need for 2 people:
- A bunch of green asparagus
- Oro de Genave olive oil
- An olive oil to finish the dish
- Balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Clean the asparagus with water and cut off about 2 to 3 centimeters of the hard bottom. You naturally leave the tip; that's the best part.
- Optional: cook the asparagus sous-vide for 14 minutes at 84 degrees Celsius; pat dry thoroughly afterwards.
- Heat a grill pan.
- Rub the asparagus generously with Oro de Genave olive oil.
- Grill the asparagus until they are tender and have a beautiful grilled color.
Our olive oil tip for this recipe
For this recipe, we like to use the Oro de Genave from Andalusia. Its intense flavor and suitability for cooking at higher temperatures complement this dish beautifully.
When the asparagus is ready, place it on a plate and drizzle with a premium olive oil. To finish, I use Saqura, Arte Oleum or Señorios de Relleu because its fresh, herbaceous taste pairs perfectly with asparagus, along with a little balsamic vinegar.
Buen provecho!
