Dish of Asparagus with Lettuce Sauce
(click to enlarge)

Asparagus with Lettuce Sauce


Italy
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 salad
**
50 min
Prep		 This warm salad may be the most delicious asparagras dish you will ever taste. Italians would likely use white asparagus, but see Note-1.




1
6
3
1-1/2
2
1/4
tt
tt
3/4
#
oz
oz
oz
t
c


c
Asparagus (1)
Lettuce, green leaf  
Onion
Ham, lean
Butter
Stock
Salt
Pepper
Cream

Americans aren't accustomed to lettuce being cooked, but this works very well, and is a change from the usual asparagus sauces.

Prep   -   (25 min unpeeled, 35 min peeled)
  1. Cook ASPARAGUS as whole spears. If thin enough use the asparagus steamer method. If thicker or white peel and cook in a sauté pan. Keep it warm (it can be rewarmed if timing is an issue). For cooking details see our Working with Asparagus page.
  2. Tear the LETTUCE LEAVES into about 1-1/2 inch squares, discarding the stiff ribs. Weight is after tearing.
  3. Chop ONION very small.
  4. Dice HAM fairly small.
Run   -   (15 min)
  1. Warm some dishes for serving, if possible.
  2. Heat Butter in a saucepan and fry Onion over moderate heat until translucent.
  3. Stir in Lettuce and Ham, then Stock. Season to taste with Salt and Pepper and simmer for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until lettuce is well wilted.
  4. Stir in Cream and bring up warm stirring constantly - but not to a simmer. Turn off heat.
  5. Arrange Asparagus spears on a warm dish and ladle sauce over. Serve warm.
NOTES:

  1. Asparagus:

      For some reason I cannot fathom, Europeans prefer labor intensive white asparagus which is nearly flavorless and always needs to be peeled. Well, it's probably promoted by chefs, who only want asparagus as a conveyence for their sauces, without any flavor to interfere. I have, however, seen some references to "wild asparagus" in southern Italy, which would be green. For details see our Asparagus page.
  2. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
ygd_asparalet1 080316 gic224   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@aaxnet.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page is permitted.