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Boiled Asparagus (asperges au naturel)

Classic boiled asparagus from Erken's Stor kokebok: 1.5 kg asparagus is peeled, bundled, and boiled in salted water until tender, served on a warm napkin with asparagus butter, creamed butter, or maltaise sauce. The trimmed stalk ends are boiled down for stock.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 367 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Erken opens the asparagus section with advice on storage: asparagus should be kept in moist sand so it does not wilt, and put in cold water for a couple of hours before boiling. Asparagus with a bitter taste should be transferred to another water as soon as it is boiled.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Peel the asparagus

    Hold the asparagus with the head up and gently scrape with the knife from the head downward, just inside the thin skin.

  2. 2

    Rinse and trim

    Rinse the stalks in cold water and cut away all the woody part, so the stalks are all the same length.

  3. 3

    Bundle

    Tie the asparagus in bundles of 10–20 stalks according to thickness, with all the heads to the same side. Let the bundles lie in cold water until they are to be boiled.

  4. 4

    Boil

    Put the bundles in boiling, salted water and boil until tender – about 30 minutes according to the original, but modern thin asparagus usually needs only 10–20 minutes.

  5. 5

    Arrange

    Take up the asparagus, snip off the ties, and place it on a warm platter with a very hot, folded napkin, or on an asparagus dish with a rack.

  6. 6

    Serve

    Serve asparagus butter, creamed butter, or maltaise sauce alongside. Boil the trimmed end pieces down for stock.

Changes from the original

Amounts are given in modern units (grams, liters). The cooking time is adjusted for today's thinner asparagus (10–20 minutes noted as a guide alongside the original's about 1/2 hour). Otherwise the method is unchanged.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
1914 (proofread, p. 367) → 1949 (proofread, p. 405)~40% of the text changedremovedadded
1 1/2 Slikkasparges. (Asperges au naturel.) 1½ kg. asparges 2 l. vand vann 20 gr. salt 200 gr. smør. Aspargeserne skrælles, Aspargesene skrelles, idet man holder dem med hodet opad, skraper saa så med kniven fra hodet nedover litt indenfor innenfor den tynde hinde, tynne hinne, skyller dem i koldt vand, vann, avskjærer alt træet trenet, og saaledes, således at de blir like lange; bind dem i bundter paa bunter på 10—20 stykker efter tykkelsen, og lengden, idet alle hoder lægges legges til én kant. Aspargeserne lægges Aspargesene legges i koldt vand, indtil vann inntil de skal kokes. De sættes settes over ilden varmen i kokende, saltet vand vann og koker ca. 1/2 ¾ time, eller til de er møre. De optages, optas, avklippes baandene båndene og anrettes paa på et varmt fat, hvorpaa hvorpå er lagt en meget varm, sammenfoldet serviet, serviett, eller paa på et bestemt aspargesfat med rist. Aspargessmør, rørt smør Aspargessmør eller maltesersaus serveres til. De avskaarne avskårne stykker efter rensningen av asparges kokes ut til kraft.

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Frequently asked questions

How long does the asparagus boil?
About 1/2 hour in boiling, salted water – or until the stalks are tender. The total time with cleaning is around an hour.
How do I clean and prepare the asparagus?
Hold the stalk with the head up and scrape/peel with the knife from the head downward, just inside the thin membrane. Rinse in cold water, cut away all the woody part so the stalks are all the same length, and tie them in bundles of 10–20 according to thickness with all the heads to the same side. Let them lie in cold water until they are to be boiled.
What is served with it, and how is it arranged?
Take up the bundles, snip off the ties, and place the asparagus on a warm platter with a very hot, folded napkin – or on a dedicated asparagus dish with a rack. Serve with asparagus butter, creamed butter, or maltaise sauce; the recipe figures 200 g butter to 1 1/2 kg asparagus (6 servings).
Where does the recipe come from?
From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" from 1914, page 367.

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