You have to try this fantastic spring White asparagus escabeche recipe with quail eggs and ramps! This dish screams spring!
White Asparagus escabeche, can be a complex ingredient that can be very different from its brother the green asparagus. White asparagus are grown completely underground so which allows it to stay white and free of chlorophyll. I have experienced when I didn't peel the stalks it can leave a bitter flavor to the asparagus. Spring is filled with great ingredients and this being one of them. I took this dish into the direction of vinegar applying the escabeche technique of preserving. I paired it with another great spring ingredient and that is wild (leek) onion or ramps.
This dish has a lot of the Mediterranean flavors of vinegar, olives, oil, capers, garlic and lots more. A dish that really screams spring and the boss loved it. One option that you can do and I did but is not in the picture is chorizo. I did add a little bit of chorizo the Jp's dish but not to Eloise she hasn't been eating any meat or fish (eggs okay) for months now so the picture reflects her dish more than Jp's dish with a little added ground chorizo. Easily added if you want it and easily left off for those who don't want it. Here is the white asparagus recipe I hope you enjoy it.
White Asparagus Escabeche with Quail Egg and Ramps
Escabeche
- 1/3 cup sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 each shallots
- 1/4 cup capers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup green olive
- 4 oz persimmon mushrooms ((optional))
- 1/2 cup ramp ((bottoms))
- 2 tbsp salt
Ramp Sauce
- 3 oz ramp tops
- 1 oz Italian parsley
- 1 cup veganaise
- 1 salt (to taste)
White Asparagus
- 2 bunches white asparagus (peeled and bottoms cut off and blanched)
- 1 doz quail eggs
- 3 each red radish
- 1 each finger lime
- 1 oz radish sprouts
- 1 tbsp rosemary flowers
For the Asparagus
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Take a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Blanch the asparagus for 8 seconds and place them in a heat proof baking dish (pyrex). Then add the persimmon mushroom to the pan with the asparagus. Next place the rest of the ingredients in a pot (vinegar, oil, salt, capers, olives, ramp bottoms and garlic. Bring the pot up to a hard simmer (195 degrees) and then pour all the contents over the white asparagus so that it covers them completely.
Take a piece of plastic wrap and cover leaving one edge open for steam to escape. Let it cool and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Let the asparagus come back to room temperature if you let it go overnight.
For the Ramp Sauce
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Blanch ramp tops, and parsley for 15 seconds and then shock in an ice bath. Let it cool completely and then ring out excess water. Place in a blender with aioli and puree until smooth. If you need to add a little water to make a smooth consistency then do so. Season with salt and set aside.
To Finish
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Take a small pair of scissors and cut the tops off of the quail eggs. Then in a non stick pan with a little butter or oil fry the eggs until the white is cooked completely (about 1-2 min). Then take out of the pan and cut the with a ring cutter to make a perfectly round little fried egg. Season with salt.
Then place a spoonful of the sauce on to the plate. Take 3 white asparagus and place olives slices, capers, persimmon mushrooms, finger limes "caviar", and radish all along the white asparagus. Drizzle with a little extra escabeche marinade. Option add a little cooked chorizo (not shown in picture). Place the asparagus on the plate carefully. Then add two quail eggs, rosemary flowers and radish sprouts. Serve and enjoy!
