Hungry in Berlin

For a very short time, it’s asparagus season in Germany. No matter that asparagus fields will continue to produce into the early summer: local tradition decrees that it is over on June 1. Only clueless foreign vegetable stands (ie, those run by Turks or Vietnamese, which is where I prefer to buy my vegetables anyway) will continue to offer any.

And now let me introduce some heresy: I just don’t like white asparagus, which is what you mostly find in the markets here. It’s flavorless, has no discernable vitamins, and is usually masked by some ultra-rich sauce to distract you from its blandness. Nope, I grew up with green asparagus, and that’s what you’ll find on my table.

There are some advantages to having this preference: for one thing, the elevated cost of thick white spears is outrageous, as is the fetishistic insistence on all-white (as opposed to “purple,” which has the tips in the process of turning green — horrors!). Green asparagus — when you can find it — is cheaper. Plus, the best green asparagus is thin, and, thanks to our overlords in Brussels, listed as Class III. The best, cheapest asparagus I’ve ever found in Berlin was courtesy of a couple of ladies who’d set up in the Winterfeldtplatz market to dump this “trash” at about a Euro a kilo.

You can find green asparagus for €1.50 to €2 a 500-gram bundle all over the place at the moment, coming in from Greece and Spain, so make the most of it. I like it steamed and covered with a garlicky balsamic vinaigrette, or garlic butter, but I also make a killer pasta dish out of it.

You’ll need a bundle of green asparagus, some green onions, garlic, and a can of tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes are even better, but they come into the market after asparagus is gone around here, so I’ll stick with canned: one can of Pizzatomaten or Tomaten in Stück. And, of course, some penne rigate for the pasta, some fresh basil leaves, and some Parmigiano Reggiano.

Break up the asparagus into penne-sized lengths, throw them into cold salted water, and put them on the fire. At the moment they begin to boil, take them off and drain. (If you’ve gotten particularly thick asparagus, you might want to boil it for a minute, but no more).

Then sauté some garlic in olive oil, and when it’s fragrant — about a minute — toss in 3-4 green onions, also cut into penne-sized lengths, white and green bits. Give this another minute, then add a can of tomatoes. Lower the heat and let it cook for about ten minutes, while you cook the pasta.

Drain the pasta (tossing a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water into your sauce) and add the reserved asparagus to the sauce, cooking it just long enough to heat it back up. Julienne about five or six basil leaves and add them to the sauce, then toss it with the penne, add some Parmigiano, and serve.

Makes enough for two. Perhaps our wine expert will recommend a nice Italian red to go with it.

One caveat when buying this stuff, though: it always comes rubber-banded together, in a tough paper-like plastic holder. Check the parts of the stalks you can’t see, because more than once I’ve bought stuff that was fine on top, but rotten or decomposing underneath. This is particularly true in places where they stand it up in water, which you clearly shouldn’t do, but do check or you wind up throwing out about 2/3 of what you just bought.

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