Asparagus salad green – white

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 500 g asparagus, green
• 500 g asparagus, white
• Salt
• Sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp oil (sunflower oil)
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, white
• Salt
• White pepper, freshly ground
• 4 tbsp herbs (spring herbs of your choice), chopped
• 4 tbsp sprouts (alfalfa sprouts), only if available

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

prepared in Venice

At the end of April or beginning of May, don’t stay in a cramped, stuffy hotel in Venice, but treat yourself to a vacation apartment. In the morning, go to the fruit and vegetable market on the Rialto, or to the greengrocer on the Strada Nova, or to other corners of the individual sestiers unknown to day-trippers, and admire the selection. There, you’ll find vegetables and unusual sprouts you won’t see in Germany. The asparagus is carefully bundled in shallow bowls of water. The accompanying selection of herbs leaves nothing to be desired. Be patient when the signora standing in front of you discusses every selection of her shopping at length with the greengrocer and her husband, and you’ll learn a lot about buying vegetables correctly. For safety reasons, opt for the well-known asparagus, improvise a little with the vinegar and oil—perhaps the previous tenant had good taste, and you still have some good olive oil and white wine vinegar in the cupboard. Peel the white asparagus whole, and the green asparagus only at the bottom. Bring a little water with salt, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil. Cook the white spears for 6 to 8 minutes, then add the green spears and cook for another 10 minutes. Thoroughly whisk the vinegars with salt, freshly ground pepper, and the oils, then stir in the spring herbs. Slice the asparagus spears diagonally, toss with the vinaigrette, and let marinate briefly. Sprinkle with the sprouts before serving.