When it comes to puff pastry, which is always considered an appetiser but also a perfect aperitif (although I would also enjoy it at breakfast), they are the only ones who can’t fail to appear on my table: a bunch of sparkling asparagus enclosed in a bundle of crisp puff pastry to form an enchanting spiral with an enveloping aroma. If you haven’t already guessed, I love puff pastry.

There are a million recipes you can make with it, think vol-au-vents, delicious jam cakes, not to mention pies! In any case, the pastry should be coloured with egg yolk, but not on the edges, so as not to prevent it from puffing up!Asparagus, on the other hand, is a very healthy, high-quality and delicious vegetable.

There are many recipes that can be prepared with asparagus, the simplest but equally delicious of which is to serve your asparagus first boiled and then au gratin in the oven with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Curiosity

Did you know that you only need 3 ingredients to make puff pastry? Water, flour and butter, and that’s it. The recipe dates back to the ancient Greeks, who used this crumbly pastry to make cakes, but instead of butter, oil was the essential ingredient.

In addition to their diuretic and digestive qualities, asparagus also has depurative, remineralising, laxative and blood-thinning properties. They are also low in calories and fairly rich in protein. However, they are contraindicated in the case of cystitis, renal lithiasis or hyperglycaemia, as they contain significant doses of purines.

Advice

To give asparagus a more beautiful appearance, before cooking it, scrape off the white part with a knife and even out the end of the stalk; then tie it up with a string in bunches that are not too large, and so that it remains green, salt the water, immersing it when it boils strongly.

The cooking is right when the spinach begins to bend its head, but still make sure that they yield with your fingers. The cooking indicated in the recipe is done in boiling water but, unfortunately, in this way you will lose a lot of the minerals present in the asparagus, with the exception of calcium but especially vitamin C. To limit the various losses, it is advisable to steam the vegetables.