Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Fresh Asparagus Patties – Spring is in the Air, After Coming Up Through the Ground

There are certain things I wait for every year that tells me spring is really here.  Baseball on the radio, having to change the clocks, and all that beautiful green asparagus piled high at the market. 

Even though we can now get asparagus pretty much year-round, it just seems to look and taste better this time year, especially if you’re listening to baseball, while observing the correct time.

And while I love whole spears of asparagus prepared simply, once in a while I crave a new and exciting delivery system, and these delicious, and beautiful patties were just that.  As I mentioned in the video, this was an experiment, but other than maybe cutting up the asparagus a little smaller, I don’t think I’d change too much. To clarify, I’m speaking about the actual patty itself, and not how it was served, since I have a few thoughts regarding that.

I gave a few alternative sauce ideas in the video, but what about topping these with poached eggs, and doing some kind of vegetarian Benedict? Or maybe make them a little bigger, and thicker, and serve them on a nicely toasted burger bun? There are just a few ideas to get you started.  Regardless of how you serve these asparagus patties, I really do hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 6 asparagus patties:
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed, blanched in well salted water (it should taste like sea water)
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste
1 ounce finely grated pecorino cheese, or Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1 unpacked cup after grating on a microplane)
1/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
olive oil, as needed for frying
fresh lemon to garnish and/or use in your *sauce

* My sauce was simply mayonnaise spiked with raw garlic, lemon juice, and a pinch of cayenne.

17 comments:

Unknown said...

I will definitely try this. I think broccoli stems instead of the asparagus would be amazing too.

Tyler said...

How am I supposed to know if it’s crispy if you don’t scrape it with a fork, CHEF JOHN. Jesus

Chris said...

mmm, nice idea here and I will probably give it a go. Or alternatively I may try doing it as an Asparagus Pakora, using a batter of Bessan, (chick pea flour) using my favourite pakora batter recipe.

A man with a plan said...

Did you really leave this comment on your youtube channel or did someone access your account to make you look bad?



"Try to pay closer attention, or find another channel to watch."

Unknown said...

Chef John,

When are you going to revisit your al pastor pork recipe? The people demand it.

Unknown said...

I watched this video and was inspired to try something with the asparagus I had sitting in the fridge. I didn't know that I could blanch asparagus and add it to things. So I took the bunch that I had, trimmed it and blanched just like you did but instead of making patties or cakes I added it a a quiche with some onion, feta, and artichoke hearts. It turned out well and now I have a new way to serve asparagus. Thank you for the inspiration.

Best Food Wishes,
Kristen

Unknown said...

Great idea and recipe!!! I made these last night for my lady and she LOVED them. Thank you for the idea.

black and white said...

Hi chef, could you do a soba noodle bowl recipe? Thanks!!

Unknown said...

Where did you get the smooth spider used in this video?

All I can find are the "chickenwire" types that have sharp points and are impossible to clean.

Unknown said...

Where did you get the smooth spider used in this video? All I can find are "chickenwire" types that have sharp points and are impossible to clean.

Angela said...

Love asparagus and this idea for a new way to use it. Thank you, Chef John!

Unknown said...

Amazing recipe, thanks for explaining perfectly, a nice video too.

CaseyRocky said...

I took the poached egg on the top suggestion and added crumbled fried pancetta. The patties gave me an alternate delivery device for that baked prosciutto-asparagus breakfast from 2011 that I love.

Diana said...

I made these for dinner tonight. It was just ok. I would probably not make it again. All videos look great but every time I try any recipe from "food wishes" it either does not come out good or nothing special.

Kitty Witty said...

I have to remind myself not to eat while watching your video recipes. You're so funny that the food ends up all over my table!😂

NCjumper said...

I made these last week, I thought they were excellent, and my family has asked me to make them again this weekend. Great recipe!

Peduzzi89 said...

In case anyone was wondering, Chef John's suggestion of using these as burgers was brilliant! I used the same amount of ingredients to make four patties instead of six, and served them on buns with cheese and some of the lemon aioli. Alongside some greens dressed with homemade green goddess dressing, it made quite a satisfying meal, and one that I told myself was very healthy!

Chef John, love your style and sense of humor!