White Asparagus with Herb Sauce

White asparagus is the perfect dish when you’re craving a bite of spring and want something fresh and bright, but still something warm — a lovely first course or main course lunch paired with thin slices of San Daniele ham. Be sure to source asparagus that has tightly closed tips, which indicates freshness. To prepare the spears, it’s important to bend each one at the bottom until it snaps naturally — it will break at the point where it becomes tender. Typically, white asparagus needs to be cooked longer than green. If you are unable to find white asparagus, just substitute with green and reduce the cooking time.

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6 as a side, or 3 to 4 as a main course

36 white asparagus (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper
Zest of a lemon, plus juice to taste
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
1/4 cup green olives such as Lucques or Picholines, pitted and roughly chopped
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh dill fronds, roughly chopped
Small handful (1/4 cup) of fresh chervil or parsley leaves for garnish
1/4 cup freshly shaved Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Peel the asparagus up to about an inch to the top blossom end (keeping the blossom end intact and untouched), then use your hands to snap off the tough bottom ends. Using a paring knife, trim the bottoms, making a clean edge. Using cotton butcher’s twine, tie 5 or 6 asparagus into individual bundles for even cooking, tying at both ends.

3. In a medium bowl, add the white wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine, then stir in the lemon zest. Add the toasted almonds, green olives, parsley, chives and dill. Stir to combine.

4. Add the asparagus bundles to the boiling water and blanch until tender, 4 to 5 minutes, depending on the size. The asparagus is done when you can insert the tip of a paring knife into the thick end of a spear and it comes out without resistance. Remove the bundles with a fork and drain on a clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. Remove the strings.

5. While still warm or at room temperature, arrange the spears on a serving platter. Season with fleur de sel. Drizzle with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Spoon the herb sauce over the asparagus and add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with chervil and Parmesan shavings. Serve immediately.

Notes

Cook's Note: White asparagus can also be served in a variety of other ways, such as with a simple vinaigrette, brown or herbed butter, a chopped egg and thin shavings of Parmesan, a sauce verte or a luxurious Hollandaise. Once you’ve tried this, take advantage of the short season and make it again!