Fried white asparagus with mustard sauce and bacon

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg asparagus, white
• 12 slices of bacon
• 200 ml vegetable stock
• 50 ml cream
• 1 shot of white wine
• 1 tbsp wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp grainy mustard
• e.g. butter
• 1 tbsp, heaped flour
• salt and pepper

Instructions

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

If necessary, preheat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Or pre-cook the asparagus in water. To do this, peel the asparagus and pre-cook it slightly so that it is still firm to the bite. For the oven version, place the asparagus in a baking dish, scatter knobs of butter over it, cover with aluminum foil and then cook in the oven on the middle rack for about 25 minutes. In the meantime, fry the bacon in a pan without adding any fat or oil until crispy, remove from the pan and place on kitchen paper. Set aside. Melt a little butter in the resulting frying fat from the bacon. In the meantime, I make a roux for the mustard sauce. Melt some butter and stir in the flour, deglaze with a little white wine and add the stock. Bring to a boil briefly while stirring, then reduce the heat and add a spoonful of vinegar. Season to taste with the mustard and refine it with the cream. Keep the sauce warm. Remove the asparagus from the oven and briefly sear it on all sides in a pan with the fat and butter mixture. Arrange on plates, pour over the sauce, and top each with three slices of bacon. Ciabatta or baguette is fine as a side dish. We were skeptical about this combination at first, but then we were completely delighted.