The philosopher’s herb: wild asparagus

The best time to collect wild asparagus is spring, on the occasion of a mild day at the end of March (they can be found until the end of June) we ventured for a walk among the uncultivated meadows, in the wooded area that embraces our property. and to our surprise we found that they were growing in the area. It was a nice experience to walk and collect them, and then in the evening enjoy them in a home made omelette.

Wild asparagus compared to cultivated ones, offer a more pronounced vegetable taste, however they are more difficult to find, because they grow in the woodlands among thorny bushes but prick yourself for a bunch of wild asparagus is worth it!

It even seems that philosophers also loved wild asparagus, whose botanical name is: Asparagus acutifolius. It seems that even in the time of Pliny this spontaneous herb was really appreciated, it seems that in those times wild asparagus grew in the marshy areas.

Let’s take a step back, before being able to taste them we have been busy cleaning them, being a spontaneous grass the first thing to do was wash them carefully under water, eliminating soil residues. In some cases, in order to purify them, it is good to soak them in a solution of water and bicarbonate, just a few minutes. After drying them, remove the most woody part of the stem, the one closest to the ground.

Wild asparagus: cooking in the oven and in foil

Wild baked asparagus is a delicious side dish to accompany any type of dish.

It starts with cleaning them, then once placed in a row in a baking dish lined with baking paper, season them with a little oil, bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 170 °.

In foil, put them in aluminum foil, garnished with a little onion and a few tomatoes.

The tastiest version with zucchini cut into julienne strips then in the oven for 25 minutes.

Wild asparagus: cooking with butter

After having cleaned them, tied them in bunches and blanched for about 10 minutes, remove them from the pot and place them in a colander to make them lose the cooking water.

Melt a little butter in a pan keeping the heat on until it is golden brown.

Place the wild asparagus in an oven dish and pour the melted butter directly onto the shoots.

Wild asparagus: the omelette

200 grams of wild asparagus are enough to prepare the omelette. The ingredients: 4 eggs, oil and salt as required. Start by cleaning the asparagus, after having washed them break them into small pieces starting from the tip, and then toss them in the pan for a few minutes.

Beat the eggs, add salt if necessary and add the asparagus to the mix, put everything back into the pan. Raise the heat and mix everything with a wooden spoon, when it is ready to serve, please note it is also good cold.