Spring is already appearing on market stalls with beautiful seasonal products, including green asparagus, a true star that can be enjoyed in many ways. Michelin-starred chef Nicolas Bottero, at the head of Le Mas Bottero near Aix-en-Provence, offers a refined and elegant version that you will quickly become addicted to, and which will make an impression at the table. Pan-seared asparagus cooked à la minute to keep all their crunch, enhanced with creamy morel mushrooms and a vin jaune emulsion: a true dream dish.
INGREDIENTS
For 4 people
Preparation: about 40 min
Cooking: about 50 min
For the asparagus and garnish
- 16 green asparagus (size 12/16)
- 1 white onion
- 5 cl chicken stock
- 10 cl olive oil
- 400 g cooked pork belly
For the creamy morels
- 12 fresh morels (or dried morels equivalent)
- 1 finely chopped shallot
- 20 g butter
- 10 cl vin jaune
- 20 cl liquid cream
PREPARATION
Cut 12 green asparagus into 3 equal sticks and set aside. Finely slice the remaining 4 from base to tip, keeping about 4 cm of the heads to create raw shavings. Using a mandoline, prepare these shavings and keep them between two damp papers. In a saucepan, sweat the sliced asparagus with the finely chopped white onion in a drizzle of olive oil, without coloring. Season with salt, then add the chicken stock. Cook covered until the liquid is fully absorbed. Blend quickly to obtain a smooth purée and set aside. Cut the cooked pork belly into cubes of about 1 cm. Brown them on all sides in a pan. Set aside, keeping the fat in the pan to cook the asparagus. Clean the fresh morels by soaking them for 30 minutes in lukewarm water. Drain them, then sweat them with the butterand shallot. Lightly season, deglaze with the vin jaune, and reduce almost completely. Then add the filtered soaking water (without impurities) and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Reduce the cooking juices, then add the liquid cream and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Separate the morels from the cream, which will be used as a sauce. At the last moment, heat the pan with a little olive oil and quickly sear the green asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes. Cover off the heat and let them finish cooking for 2 minutes. For plating, place the green asparagus purée at the bottom of a deep plate. Add the roasted asparagus, the pieces of pork belly, the morels, and the raw shavings. Finish with the lightly foamed morel cream with vin jaune.
Discover also a comforting Parmigiano Reggiano soup and marinated sardines that bring summer back.
