The asparagus season is open!

And, on this Easter Sunday, why not put this vegetable in the spotlight alongside a good piece of lamb and chocolate?

For this, Laurent Mariotte and his columnists, give us their advice to choose it well and cook it in the program "La Table des bons vivant". 

With more than 20,000 tonnes of asparagus produced each year in France, asparagus is a vegetable very present in French gastronomy.

There are many preferences and differences between white or green asparagus, especially when cooking.

To the point, sometimes, of getting lost.

To avoid this, Laurent Mariotte and his columnists give us their tips for successful cooking for each of the asparagus on the program 

La Table des bons vivant

. 

Green or white asparagus? 

"I have no preference between green or white asparagus", explains chef Yves Camdeborde.

"These two vegetables have the same name but for me they are two different products, with their taste characteristics. In addition, there is one that is very easy to prepare, it is the green one, with no preparation. . The white one has to be peeled. "

A difference that we also find in the way of cultivating it.

"The white asparagus grows in the East, in the earth, unlike the green which grows in the South outside the earth, in the sun."

Hence this difference in taste! 

>> Find La Table des bons vivant in podcast and in replay here 

Cooking with water 

Another concern of white asparagus is cooking.

It is not always easy to find a way to cook it so that it is firm and tender at the same time.

For this, Laurent Mariotte went to meet chef Olivier Nasti to get his tip for successful cooking.

"You boil water, you put ten grams of salt per liter of water", explains the chef.

"You peel your asparagus carefully, you bunch them by five or six, so that the heads of the asparagus do not get damaged during cooking. Once your water boils, you immerse the asparagus in three minutes watch in hand . You stop the cooking of your plate, you put a lid and the asparagus will fall to the bottom of the water very slowly, in 10 to 12 minutes. Once it has fallen to the bottom of the pan, you can be sure the cooking is perfect. "

It will not be crunchy or overcooked and cooking will not continue.

Last tip?

Serve these asparagus with a Flemish vinaigrette. 

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Steam cooking

Another possibility given by Yves Camdeborde, steam cooking, but this time for green asparagus.

It allows in particular to keep all the nutritional qualities of the vegetable as well as an undeniable length in the mouth.

"For that, no need to kick them, just put them on the steam and let them cook for barely three minutes", advises Yves Camdeborde.

"Then you turn off the steam and let it shoot (cool)."

That's it !