
Asparagus & Japanese Knotweed Sauce
11h 15m
Asparagus are known in Belgium as "the gold of nature", and they mark the beginning of a new season. In this recipe, we combine them with rhubarb and Japanese knotweed, which tastes like rhubarb.
Japanese knotweed is an invasive plant. If you can't beat them… eat them, because they are delicious.
To complete the dish, we add hung yogurt, grilled cucumber salad, and raw asparagus in elderflower & vanilla oil.
Put a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel
Add 500 g of plain, unsweetened yogurt and bunch the towel together
Tie the kitchen towel in a bundle with a rubber band
Place in the refrigerator for 8h to drain. The hung yogurt is ready
Add the peel and juice of 1 lemon to a blender
Add salt to taste
Add 3 cups of elderflower and 1½ cups of lemon verbena
Add 400 ml of extra virgin olive oil. Blend on medium-high speed until almost smooth
Add the seeds and pod of 1 vanilla bean to a bowl
Add the oil and whisk to combine. Let the vanilla sit in the oil for at least 2h to infuse the flavors
Strain through a mesh sieve. The elderflower & vanilla oil is ready
Remove and discard the leaves from 1 bunch of thin Japanese knotweed. Finely chop the stems
Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a small saucepan and transfer the Japanese knotweed
Sweat over low heat until it turns dark green
Turn the heat to medium. Add 1 cup of white vermouth and let it simmer for 1m to evaporate the alcohol
Add 1½ cups of water and ½ bunch of elderflower. Bring it to a boil and cook for 2m to extract the flavors
Blend on high speed until smooth
Strain through a fine mesh sieve and season with salt to taste. The Japanese knotweed sauce is ready
Peel 10 white asparagus
Trim the fibrous ends off 6 green asparagus
Finely slice 3 of the white asparagus and 3 of the green asparagus, leaving the tips whole. Add them to a bowl
Cut the green asparagus tips in half lengthwise and reserve
Thinly slice the white asparagus tips lengthwise and reserve
Fill a saucepan partway with water. Add salt and the elderflower & vanilla Oil to taste
Bring to a boil over medium heat
Peel, trim, and cut 1 cucumber in half. Deseed and finely slice ⅓ of the cucumber. Add it to the sliced asparagus bowl and reserve the remaining cucumber
Season the sliced asparagus and cucumber with salt and black pepper to taste
Add 2 tbsp of the Japanese Knotweed Sauce and mix to coat
Cut the remaining white asparagus in half
Blanch the asparagus in the boiling water for 3m until just slightly tender, but still crunchy. Transfer to an ice bath to cool down
Heat a grill and place the peeled cucumber on it. Add a weight over them and grill until nicely brown on both sides
Plate half of the blanched white asparagus per plate. Dress with japanese knotweed sauce to taste. Top with the sliced cucumber and asparagus salad to taste
Add 3 tsp of the hung yogurt and grilled cucumber to taste. Add the asparagus tips and garnish with edible flowers and herbs
Drizzle with the elderflower & vanilla oil to taste. The asparagus & Japanese knotweed sauce is ready
Enjoy!
Yield 2 people
White Asparagus
10Asparagus
6Cucumber
1Edible Flower
to garnishBlack Pepper
to tasteSalt
to taste
Hung Yogurt
Plain, Unsweetened Yogurt
500 g
Elderflower & Vanilla Oil
Elderflower
3 cupsVanilla Bean
1Lemon Verbena
1½ cupsExtra Virgin Olive Oil
400 mlLemon
1Salt
to taste
Japanese Knotweed Sauce
Thin Japanese Knotweed
1 bunchElderflower
½ bunchOlive Oil
2 tbspWhite Vermouth
1 cupSalt
to tasteWater
1½ cups
Equipment
Kitchen Towel
Rubber Band
Fine Mesh Sieve
Blender
Blender