Pickled green asparagus

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 2 kg asparagus, green, pencil-thick short stalks
• 2 liters of water
• 1 tsp, leveled salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• 400 ml balsamic vinegar, white
• 100 ml olive oil
• 20 g salt
• 50 g sugar
• Herbs of Provence
• Garlic clove(s)
• black peppercorns
• Tomato(s), dried

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 15 minutes

Wash the asparagus and trim to fit the jars. Peel the thin stalks. Bring water to a boil with the teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of sugar. Blanch the asparagus stalks in batches for 30 seconds. Place them in a sieve, drain well, and layer them in the jars, tips down. Add a little Provençal herbs, a few peppercorns, a small clove of garlic, and a couple of pieces of sun-dried tomatoes to each jar. Measure out 1.5 liters of the asparagus stock, add the balsamic vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and fill the jars to within 2 cm of the rim. Sprinkle a little olive oil on top of each jar. Secure the lids. Place the jars in a preserving kettle at 90°C for 30 minutes. The time counts from the time the temperature is reached. The asparagus is wonderfully crisp, can be eaten as a salad, is suitable for finger food, and goes well in ham rolls with raw ham or even in salami rolls. It’s also a popular gift among my friends. Tip: The pencil-thick stalks don’t need to be peeled. If you use thicker stalks, you’ll need to peel the lower third of the asparagus and adjust the blanching time.