Pickled asparagus: A twist on an iconic taste of spring

“One of my favorite tricks” in the spring is to serve pickled asparagus and fresh roasted asparagus together, said Paul Virant in The Preservation Kitchen (Ten Speed Press). I’ve always tried to get the most out of local produce. Several years ago, when I opened the restaurant Vie, outside Chicago, I started to appreciate the culinary potential in stretching the growing seasons by canning some of my favorite produce.

The asparagus dish below can be served at breakfast or dinner. It brings out two sides of asparagus. The roasted spears are “smoky and meaty”; the pickled spears are “grassy and green, with just enough pucker” to counter the prosciutto.

Recipe of the week

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Pickled asparagus

6½ cups champagne vinegar

3½ cups water

3 tbsp kosher salt

2 tbsp sugar

4 tsp dill seed

8 dill sprigs

4 garlic cloves, halved

16 cups asparagus, trimmed

Bring vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to boil. Keep hot. In a dry sauté pan over medium heat, toast dill seed about 1 minute.

In a large pot that’s fitted with a rack, scald four 1-quart jars in simmering water. Right before filling the jars, move them to a counter. In each jar, place 1 tsp dill seed, 2 dill sprigs, and 2 garlic clove halves. Meanwhile, soak lids in a pan of hot water to soften the rubber seals.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, blanch asparagus for 1 minute. Drain and divide among jars. Transfer brine to a heat-proof pitcher and pour over asparagus, leaving about an inch of air space at the top. Check jars’ contents for air pockets; shake them if necessary. Place lids on jars and screw on the bands until they’re snug but not tight.

Place jars in the pot with the rack and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and continue boiling 20 minutes before removing jars.

Grilled and pickled asparagus with prosciutto and fried eggs

6 spears pickled asparagus, thinly sliced

2 tbsp pickled asparagus pickling liquid

¼ cup thinly sliced spring onions

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 lb asparagus

4 generous slices prosciutto

2 or 3 tbsp unsalted butter

4 large eggs

1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, chives, and tarragon leaves

In a small bowl, mix pickled asparagus, pickling liquid, spring onions, and mustard. Whisk in ¼ cup olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Trim off tough ends of the fresh asparagus. Toss asparagus with 2 tbsp oil and a couple of pinches of salt and pepper. Over a hot charcoal fire, grill asparagus, rotating until evenly charred, 3 to 4 minutes.

To serve, drape a slice of prosciutto across each plate. Divide grilled asparagus among the plates. Heat a dollop of butter in a large skillet. Fry eggs to your liking. Gently place eggs on top of or beside asparagus. Mix herbs into the pickled asparagus vinaigrette and spoon it over the eggs. Serves 4.