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Fricasseed Asparagus
Wash a quarter of a hundred heads of asparagus, cut off the tender portion, and lay them into cold water until they are required. Drain them, and chop them with a young lettuce, half a head of endive, and a small onion. Put a piece of butter the size of an egg into a saucepan, melt it, then mix with it smoothly a dessertspoonful of flour and half a pint of stock. Add the chopped vegetables, with pepper and salt, and let all stew gently until the sauce is thick and good. Serve hot. Time to stew, half an hour.
A Victorian-style vegetable fricassee: asparagus and salad greens stewed in a butter-and-flour sauce rather than boiled. The quantities are given in counted heads and household comparisons, so translate them before starting.
- A quarter of a hundred headsThat is 25 asparagus spears, roughly 1 to 1.5 lb depending on thickness. Only the tender upper portion is used, so buy accordingly.
- Butter the size of an eggAbout 2 oz, or 4 tablespoons. With a dessertspoonful of flour (2 teaspoons) that gives a very loose roux, which is intentional here.
- Half a pint of stockIf the book is following imperial measure this is 10 fl oz; in US measure it is 8 fl oz, or 1 cup. Start with 8 oz and add more if the pan goes dry, since the vegetables will also release liquid.
- EndiveThe half head called for is curly endive or chicory, the frizzy salad green, not the pale Belgian chicon sold under that name in the US. Escarole is the closest common substitute.
- The stewing timeHalf an hour turns cut asparagus olive-drab and soft. If you want the vegetable to keep colour and bite, sweat the lettuce, endive and onion for the full time and add the chopped asparagus for the last 6 to 8 minutes; the sauce will still be thick and good.
- Cutting and holdingChopping the asparagus into short lengths, as the method implies, is what makes this work as a fricassee rather than a plate of spears. The cold-water soak is a holding step from a kitchen without refrigeration and can be skipped.
- SeasoningButter, flour and stock alone are bland by current taste. Season the sauce properly at the end, and a squeeze of lemon or a spoon of cream lifts it without changing its character.
- YieldServes three or four as a side dish, or two on toast as a light supper.