Snapshots From Italy: Hammer Your Spears
Italians have an undeserved reputation for hammering vegetables to a fault, an accusation most often leveled at us by the" tender-crisp" camp. While I agree that cooking vegetables to the point of disintegration can be yucky, I think undercooked veggies are an insult to the vegetal world. Too many fine, deserving vegetables suffer an inconsequential position in a meal by being left in a slightly crisp state of unfulfilled flavor that no sauce can rescue.
Asparagus are the perfect example of a vegetable that needs a good long hammering (ahem) in a hot oven. Sorry, fans of tender-crisp, but I really dislike waterlogged, boiled asparagus, and steaming them renders them equally tasteless. If you don't believe me, bite into a "tender-crisp," steamed asparagus spear—no cheating with mayo, please—and tell me if any fireworks go off.
But baking asparagus in the oven with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano extracts an entirely new dimension of taste. Sure, nearly anything tastes better with butter and parm, but I assure you it isn't the dairy products that shine forth in this preparation—it's the deepened, intense flavor of the asparagus themselves that steals the show. By drying out their inherent moisture, and the extra water they always suck up when they are blanched, we get to taste the real flavor of asparagus—like mineral-rich soil, bright-green moss, and a touch of mushroomy funk. The butter and cheese simply add that extra dimension of salty richness.
This recipe comes straight from the Book of My Mom, who never blanched and shocked a vegetable in her life, God bless her. I concede that if you want to keep a bit more of that green color alive, you can shock the spears after you have blanched them, but be prepared for the big color fade.
Roasted Asparagus with Parmigiano Reggiano
I boil the asparagus in salted water until they just begin to yield to pressure, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drained, they go into a foiled-lined, shallow baking pan, spears forward and no space between them; Mom always used a pie tin, so that remains my sentimental favorite. I drizzle them with a little olive oil and roll them around to coat them, and then sprinkle them heavily with grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano. Last, and most important, I dot them evenly with unsalted butter cut into tiny cubes. The spots where the butter melts get especially brown and almost crisp, and I like that this effect is slightly uneven.
Put the pan in a hot, 400-degree oven, and roast the heck out of them, until they are slightly browned and bubbling. Yeah, they'll go from bright-green to that olive-colored tint of doom that tender-crispers bemoan. But trust me, a bunch of spears never had it so well.
About the author: Gina DePalma is the pastry chef at Mario Batali's Babbo restaurant in New York City and the author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen. She is currently in Rome doing research for her next book and further exploring her passions for Italian food.
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23 Comments:
I have absolutely no idea what hammering means in this context. Cute slang is fine in its place, but when it renders the author unintelligible, it's not working.
Barbara Hanson at 9:45AM on 04/07/08
This is my favorite way of cooking asparagus. I like to add a touch of lemon juice into the mix though.
Asado at 10:47AM on 04/07/08
@BaHa: When I read the headline, I thought that Italians were literally taking a hammer to asparagus! But I quickly picked up from the context that "to hammer" means to "cook the heck out of."
I will definitely try hammering my asparagus spears in this manner...
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 11:09AM on 04/07/08
I don't think one should have to "pick up from context" unless the writer used a correct, but perhaps abstruse, cooking term. It's the cutsie-poo making up that I object to.
Barbara Hanson at 11:52AM on 04/07/08
Considering I love raw fresh asparagus, I think "tender-crisp" is the only way to go. If you have to drown it with other seasonings to get some flavor out of it, then you really have to find a better source for your vegetables.
(And yes, I've tried it roasted and topped with Parmigiano.)
jenilowrance at 12:25PM on 04/07/08
"Hammering" is a term that has been used elsewhere in this context, specifically I have heard it recently on Mario Batali's "Molto Mario".
Excellent article, btw! I really enjoy preparing asparagus this way, particularly with the more thick stalked ones.
Amandarama at 12:27PM on 04/07/08
I was a bit confused by "hammering," too. In my world, when one "gets hammered," it is the result of drinking too much.
Yes, I was able to figure out what the writer meant, but it is a bit unclear.
Also, I like roasting asparagus, but have no plans to start cooking the piss out of it. (That's how we say it in my family).
Kerosena at 12:50PM on 04/07/08
Oh, same provenance as "evoo," "sammy," and "Bam!" Yuck.
Barbara Hanson at 1:18PM on 04/07/08
I roast asparagus in a very hot oven (450+) without blanching it first - just a roll in olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Maybe a drizzle of sherry vinegar when it's browned and tender.
Cathy at 2:38PM on 04/07/08
I tease my poor mother-in-law about her habit of "boiling the crap" out of her frozen vegetables. Perhaps I should be more polite and acuse her of hammering instead.
ThatGirl153 at 3:35PM on 04/07/08
Nah, ThatGirl, "boiling the crap out of" is a fine old culinary term.
Barbara Hanson at 3:51PM on 04/07/08
Wow. While I do like roasted asparagus with cheese, consider me stridently disagreeing with you on the tender-crisp thing. I detest modern Italian "hammer" cookery; the only foul part of an otherwise excellent meal at Batali's Esca a year ago was the destroyed veggie sidedish. It was inedible, almost Southern in its olive-drab destruction.
I would rather take my cues from the Italians' ancestors -- the ancient Romans had an expression for "lickety-split" that literally translated into "as quick as cooking asparagus." Hurumph.
HunterAnglerGardenerCook at 4:39PM on 04/07/08
Roasting asparagus to within an inch of its life is my favorite way to eat it (my second-favorite way being tender-crisp). However I always use olive oil instead of butter, and I drizzle some balsamic vinegar on it after cooking. Delicious!
jamieforrest at 5:03PM on 04/07/08
425 degree oven, roll asparagus in olive oil, sprinkle with kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper, roast 7 to 10 minutes depending on thickness (pare the really thick ones first). Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice before or after roasting and shave parm regg over them. Delicious, simple, and beautiful! Done this way, you've nailed it, not hammered. ;-)
PerkyMac at 5:15PM on 04/08/08
The entry, like all entries on this site pertain to food, not grammar or slang. Get over it. I made this side at work tonight, it was unforgettable. I also prepare green onion in this style, only they are coated with olive oil, wrapped in foil and grilled. Excellent recipe.
tonecapo at 1:20AM on 04/09/08
I think BaHA needs to relax a little...sounds like you missed the entire point of the article because of one harmless phrase
mariacee at 9:09AM on 04/09/08
I marinate my asparagus in a zip lock bag with a healthy amount of extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper for about an hour on my counter top. Then I toss them on my outdoor grill until well-browned. (Just be careful they don't fall through the slats.) The asparagus come out crunchy and delicious. My family asks for them as a snack. It's our favorite finger food. Even though they retain their crunch, they don't have that raw taste that I detest in the current "tender-crisp" vegetable fad.
Josdean at 9:42AM on 04/09/08
I'm tryin' this. Here's why: it allows you to bring hot, evidently delicious asparagus to the table without last-minute preparation.
To me, one major key to successful dinners with guests is to have only 1 item requiring last-minute attention. So, I love finding good dishes that are flexible enough to be served whenever my risotto decides to be perfectly done!
Thanks!
learyblaine at 2:55PM on 04/09/08
I won't "hammer" any vegetable and especially asparagus that for me, must be tender-crisp. Over-cooked asparagus is soft and shreds into long unappetizing lengths - very poor 'mouth feel'. Grilled asparagus aren't 'hammered' on my grill but just heated through and succulent with a glistening anointment of of olive oil. Over-cooking any vegetable is a sacrilege.
Raki5 at 7:44AM on 04/15/08
I have had asparagus "hammered" and it's great.
Dennis Czigler
www.italytraveltours.biz
Dennisjfc at 3:10PM on 05/15/08
My mom use to make it like this when we lived in Bensonhurst. It's the best.
lauren10028 at 7:31AM on 06/12/08
Grilled with olive oil and smoked (grill) coarse salt is amazing.
If you're not careful, the asparagus can burn before it gets to the desired texture (whatever you prefer) so I zap the bunch for 60-90 seconds first.
ostman at 6:48PM on 05/03/09
"Sure, nearly anything tastes better with butter and parm, but I assure you it isn't the dairy products that shine forth in this preparation—it's the deepened, intense flavor of the asparagus themselves that steals the show."
When I read this, I was incredulous, but I tried the recipe anyway, and found that my incredulity was justified -- it tasted great, but by no means did the "deepened, intense flavor of the asparagus" steal the show. The awesome taste of butter and cheese stole the show, with the asparagus in a supporting role. I prefer simple high heat roasting (without the boiling or the butter/parm) if you really want to taste the asparagus.
Brad_1999 at 9:40AM on 05/04/09