Asparagus in pink basil cheese sauce with fillet of pork, chicken or turkey

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg asparagus, white, green or mixed
• Sugar
• Salt
• 600 g pork fillet(s), chicken breast or turkey breast fillet
• 250 ml whipped cream, coffee cream or cremefine
• 100 ml milk
• 150 ml cooking water (asparagus water)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp basil, dried
• 2 pieces of processed cheese (approx. 25 g each)
• 2 slices of processed cheese (toast cheese)
• some salt and pepper
• Oil for frying
• possibly basil, fresh

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

green and/or white asparagus a little different

Trim the ends of the asparagus. Peel the asparagus, cutting only the bottom third of the green asparagus and cutting the stalks diagonally into bite-sized pieces, setting the asparagus heads aside. Add the asparagus pieces to boiling, lightly sweetened salted water and pre-cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the pieces. Then add the heads and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the asparagus is tender enough to bite into. If I cook green and white asparagus at the same time, the green asparagus is left in the water for less time than the white asparagus. Drain the asparagus, reserving the asparagus water for later use. While the asparagus is cooking, fry the meat, cut into not-too-thin slices, in a little oil in a hot pan until nicely browned on both sides, season with salt and pepper, and briefly keep warm in the oven if desired. Drain any excess oil from the pan and deglaze the pan with whipped cream or similar. Stir in the tomato paste and pour in the milk and asparagus water. Add dried basil, broken cheese wedges, and slices of cheese, and stir to bring to a boil while melting the cheese. Reduce the sauce slightly and season with salt and pepper. Add drained asparagus, roasted meat, and fresh basil, if desired, to the pan and let it simmer for a while. With this homemade dish, I was able to make asparagus appealing even to my children, who never liked whole asparagus spears. Pasta, potatoes, and, of course, a leaf salad go well as a side dish.