How many vegetables do we love and would never want to do without, even when their season is over and it’s no longer possible to find them (unless they are frozen)? One way to extend the life of some of your favorite foods for a little while longer is to preserve them in brine. It also works with asparagus!
Brine, an age-old method of preserving
Using salt to preserve food is a method that dates back to ancient Rome, where meat and fish were put under layers of salt to preserve them for a longer time. Fruit and vegetables were instead immersed in solutions of water and salt – or brine – so that they could be kept for days. Methods carried on even today – both at home and commercially. The basic recipe for brine is 100 g of salt for every kg of vegetables. In the water and salt mixture, you can add fresh herbs, a variety of seeds, red chili pepper, garlic cloves or citrus peel to make your preserves extra-special.
There's more than one variety of asparagus...
There are more than 200 varieties – all different in shape, color and taste: The best known are the green variety, white asparagus from Bassano, wild asparagus (thinner) and violet asparagus, which are actually white asparagus whose tips have been exposed to sunlight and turned purple. Rich in mineral salts, asparagus has purifying properties and it’s also good if you’re trying to lose weight because they are low in calories. You can use your favorite for this recipe.
The Recipe: Pickled Asparagus
Ingredients:
4 lb asparagus
1 lemon
4 bay leaves
7 oz salt
Method:
Using a potato peeler, cut strips of lemon zest from the lemon and squeeze it for its juice. Clean and prep the asparagus: Remove the leathery part of the stalk and wash it. Let the asparagus soak in a bowl with water and lemon juice for 15 minutes. Then drain the asparagus, dry and tie with string in small bunches that you will put in a tall pot with water (filled about 2 cm from the top). Boil the asparagus for 5 minutes and then turn off heat. Drain again and transfer to a bowl with ice water. After 5 minutes, remove and dry. Set aside. Now prepare the brine: Put two liters of water and 7 oz salt in a pot. Bring to a boil and then turn off heat. Transfer the asparagus to sterilized jars, placing them standing close one another. Add bay leaves and lemon zest. Pour the brine into the jar – almost to the brim. Close jars and place them inside a pot full of water. Boil the jars for 1 hour then let them cool inside the pot. Dry and transfer them to the pantry. Your pickled asparagus is ready! Wait two weeks to eat.
Browse the photo gallery for more tips on making asparagus at home!