White Asparagus, the king of Veronese sands.

There are lands in the Verona area - we are in Veneto - that seem made just for hosting this noble spring sprout. Sands and clays extend in the areas surrounding Lake Garda, near Affi, along the banks of the Adige, both right and left bank, Mambrotta, Zevio; then further down towards Arcole and further east the Alpone valley, where the clays begin to turn darker, of volcanic origin. The organic asparagus that we present at Spaghetti & Mandolino comes from farms in the Veronese plains, of a pearly white color and with a minimum diameter of 16 mm, thus recognized as Extra.

Asparagus: available and fresh

The asparagus plant has a long history in these lands. Once upon a time it was found wild and spontaneous along the banks of the Adige and among the clayey meadows of the hills of Affi, always along the slopes of the Adige. Initially, they were green, and then, thanks to human wisdom, practices of growth without light were applied which allowed the sprout to be deprived of chlorophyll but, nevertheless, to grow and enhance all its sweetest part. By losing the chlorophyll essence, in fact, asparagus loses part of the typical bitter herbaceous sensation and instead preserves all its plant sweetness. The thickening under the cloth, in the dark, also allows for loosening the fibrous structure typical of green asparagus and enhances its crunchy softness.

In the Verona area, asparagus is mainly eaten accompanied by boiled eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper and a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, of the aromatic and delicate kind. The extra asparagus we present are almost entirely edible, although there is always a part, the stem, that remains particularly tough. The tips are excellent for seasoning risottos based on Carnaroli or, even better, Riso Vialone Nano, which is creamier. Many times they are wrapped in very thin slices lightly grilled of rolled pancetta or speck or guanciale, for the more daring food lovers.

White asparagus: to be eaten raw

If the white asparagus is fresh, it is also very good raw. In particular, the tips of the asparagus are thinly sliced, becoming excellent for dressing beef fillet, Chianina IGP steak, or knife-cut meat tartare, like Piedmont Fassona or Romagna.

Asparagus and wine: the pairing

The most indicated wine for asparagus? Experts agree in suggesting Sauvignon blanc in its various interpretations. But it would be unfair not to consider white wines like Verdicchio, Garganega, Soave, and Lugana. For its sweet vegetal notes, it is also excellent for slightly aromatic wines like Sylvaner and Veltliner from South Tyrol.

Bernardo Pasquali