Asparagus

"ASPARAGUS 1 box frozen cut asparagus 2 Tb butter in a skillet 2 Tb salt Salt and pepper Allow the asparagus to thaw until the pieces separate from each other. Then drop into 4 quarts of rapidly boiling water. Add 2 s salt, bring rapidly back to the boil uncovered for 3 or 4 minutes, until asparagus is barely tender. Drain. If not to be served immediately, run cold water over asparagus to stop the cooking and set the fresh color and texture. Several minutes before serving, toss gently in 2 tablespoons hot butter to finish cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper."

"The usual method of preparing asparagus pursued by the Roman cooks was to select the finest sprouts and to dry them. When wanted for the table they were put in hot water and cooked a few minutes. To this practice is owing one of Emperor Augustus's favorite sayings: "Citius quam asparagi coquentur" (Do it quicker than you can cook asparagus)."

"(Asparagus officinalis) is one of the world’s top 20 vegetable crops. Both green and white shoots (spears) are produced; the latter being harvested before becoming exposed to light. The crop is grown in nearly all areas of the world, with the largest production regions being China, , North America and Peru. Successful production demands high farmer input and specific environmental conditions and cultivation practices. Asparagus materials have also been used for centuries as . Despite this widespread cultivation and consumption, we still know relatively little about the biochemistry of this crop and how this relates to the nutritional, flavour, and neutra-pharmaceutical properties of the materials used. To date, no-one has directly compared the contrasting compositions of the green and white crops."