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Thursday, 21 May 2009 10:03

Amazing Asparagus

It’s the hottest cool green vegetable of the season, and at Borssó Bistro, the friendly French-Hungarian fusion restaurant, they know how to cook it up right.

The chefs whip up this versatile veggie in the form of a soup complemented by Serrano ham, decorating a plate of pleasing prawns, or al dente in a creamy risotto, alongside succulent duck breast. They’ve agreed to divulge the recipes for the first two, so you can acquire some asparagus at the local market and impress friends and family. Serve them with a fresh, cool white wine and voilà, culinary kudos!

The main dish, however, is prepared with dazzling techniques that are really only possible in a professional kitchen. We can assure you, since we’ve tried it, that the duck is juicy, the skin is crispy, and the asparagus risotto has just the right amount of bite. So exchange your wooden spoon for the phone and reserve a table at charming Borssó – your friends will be equally impressed that you’ve discovered such a culinary gem. Oh, and just ask your waiter to recommend a white wine...

As if you needed more incentive to try asparagus, be aware that it is low in calories and is a good source of folic acid, potassium and fiber, hooray! The shoots can be stir-fried, paired with bacon, or grilled over charcoal. Simply steamed and served with melted butter, mayonnaise or a hollandaise sauce? Simply heavenly.

Asparagus Cream Soup with Almond Foam
Blend 250g green asparagus boiled in salt water, 100g washed, fresh spinach and 1 poached egg in a blender, and season with salt and pepper. For the almond foam, soak almonds crushed to a powder in water, whip with an electric hand mixer, and spoon onto the top of the soup just before serving in a glass. Set bread chips and a thin slice of Serrano ham and two poached asparagus tips atop the glass as garnish.

Green Asparagus with King Prawns and Prawn Foam
Tie six asparagus per person with leeks, and blanch in hot water with salt and butter. Peel two king prawns per person and cook in 50ml of milk and a little cream (per person), reduce the liquid to a quarter, then drain and blend with an egg white. Serve with two sautéed king prawns.

WIN! WIN! WIN!
Win an asparagus dinner for two at the Borssó Bistro (value 15,000 HUF!)! Just send the answer to the following question to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , subject line Borssó Bistro, by May 28th...

What is Borssó's culinary style?

Borssó Bistro
1053 Budapest, Királyi Pál utca 14.
Open daily noon-11 p.m.
Tel.: +36.1.789.0975
www.borsso.hu