It is asparagus season in Europe and the market is saturated with plenty of harvest even at times of the pandemic. The harvesting has already began as the seasonal workers already arrived in the farms of Austria and Germany. There had been a shortage of workers because there were restrictions at the borders due to Covid 19.
The seasonal workers who helped in harvesting were flown by plane from different parts of Eastern Europe mostly from Romania and Bulgaria. So fresh asparagus are now available in the supermarkets.
The green asparagus is one of my fave veggies and I never failed to buy at least once a week til the season is out. Since the market is saturated with it, they are cheaper in prices nowadays... Normal cost of one bunch is 3 Euros/3.25 USD, some supermarkets sell 4 Euros for two. So below are the benefits of including asparagus in your meal.
Benefits of Green Asparagus: Source.
It is very low in calories and has plenty of nutrients and with many vitamins such as A, C, E, K, and B6 plus as well as folate, iron, copper, calcium,and protein. Plus, it’s a rich source of antioxidants.
Reasons Why You Should Eat More Asparagus Source
-could help in weight loss
-a natural diuretic that could keep urinary tract from infection
-could help the body in getting rid of free radicals
-its Vitamin E strengthens the immune system
-helps get one in the mood
-rich source of folic acid which is essential for those wanting t be pregnant
My Recipe:
Ingredients ( 2 Portions)
1 bunch of green asparagus
soy sauce
butter or olive oil
a dash of dried ground garlic
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp sugar or stevia powder (optional)
Preparations:
1... Cut the lower hard part of the asparagus about 1/4 of the size of the stem and wash them. Fill a casserole with water and add the asparagus. Once the water boils, simmer the asparagus for 5 minutes ( Do not overcook).
2... Prepare a bowl of cold water and ice cubes. Take out the asparagus from the hot casserole and put them in the bowl of water and ice. The cold water will give a shock to the skin of the asparagus and they will retain their green color. Take out the asparagus and tap them with paper towel to dry them a bit.
3... In a hot frying pan with 1 tablespoon liquified butter (or 1 tablespoon olive oil) fry the asparagus carefully just to coat them with butter. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon soy sauce and carefully stir to evenly distribute the soy sauce. Season with a small amount salt and pepper according to your taste. Remember that the soy sauce has already that salty taste so adjust your spices per your preference.
Tip: (optional) To give a twist to the recipe, I sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar on top to give the recipe a salt and sweet taste.
Enjoy cooking!
Note: All images are my own.
