This is going to be a short, quick post about a very easy starter I prepared for a dinner party the other day. In my continuing quest to serve tasty food with not a lot of preparation, I decided to try the white asparagus variety I picked up at the markets. I had never cooked with the white version before. Needless to say it tasted just like the green one! I simply blanched it in a pot of boiling water and removed it from the heat after a few minutes. I still wanted it to retain its crunch and not be soggy and soft. I topped with a rich mustard vinaigrette and it was the perfect sauce to complement it.
RECIPE FOR MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
- 1/2 a cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
- *chopped parsley optional*
Whisk everything together until you have a creamy, smooth dressing. Pour over warm asparagus and serve as a simple starter. I also served mine with crusty bread. Perfect to mop up that beautiful vinaigrette.
Hope you’re enjoying your weekend.
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I have seen the white asparagus occasionally Peter. It makes me feel like I would like to make an all white meal…better start thinking:D
It definitely sounds delicious. I’ve only had white asparagus in restaurants.
How gorgeous. Now will be the time when I drool over all of your beautiful springtime food, while I get into my pork, squash, sage and cranberries. Since they’re probably coming up nice in your area, I’d try to find some nettles. They grow near streams in wet areas, and are at their peak in springtime.
Happy spring, Peter!
(btw, I’m shopping for a camera and might pick up the Nikon D40 you use.)
A wonderful starter for what would be a sumptuous meal served to your guests. I’ve made a similar sauce (like aoili with tarragon) and it’s a delight.
That’s 100% Class and Elegance Peter! Wish I was a guest…
Clean & Simple…I would love to find white asparagus here…it is really hard to find.
Looks fantastic Peter. I think simple preparations for asparagus are the best:-)
Sometimes the simplest dishes really are the best aren’t they? I think this looks really elegant.
I wish we could find white asparagus here this time of year! Lovely
Mmmm Peter, I love espárragos… here we buy the white ones in a can and they are so thick and tasty… lovely. However, never tried with a sauce and it looks so interesting! I should try your way, chico
It is definitely an easy starter, but no less delicious! I love asparagus now, but as a kid it was the only food I didn’t even want to look at — my mother had to force feed me every time asparagus was on the dinner table. Strange, I know … especially since I had no problem eating things like “saliggaria” (escargot) whenever my grandmother made them!
I have never had white asparagus before…but this looks beautiful and sounds tasty!
That’s interesting. We don’t get white asparagus here in Malaysia. I wonder how does it fare in terms of nutrients compared to its green relative.
I made white asparagus a couple of years ago, and I thought it was pretty tough. It could have been the asparagus, or it could have been my cooking. I was probably 19 or 20.
I’ll have to give it another try. You could do some cool stuff with it.
So elegant. I love the simple presentation.
Beautiful. Just when I was getting excited about the mushrooms and root veggies coming my way, you now have me missing spring!
Stunning presentation, as always.
White asparagus is SO good, and is actually more common here than the green variety. The mustard vinagrette you served it with sounds like a lovely addition.
the sauce sounds nice. P, have you not forgotten about the scoring sheet, have you? I’ve emailed you days ago, I hope you’re alright.
I wish we could find asparagus easily in Greece. They export nearly all production and we rarely see any. However, I’ve never seen white asparagus before. Does it differ in taste?
Delicious! I love asparagus (green or white) prepared simply.