TABELIA

AUTHENTIC RECIPE

Asparagi alla ParmigianaAsparagus with Butter and Parmigiano

Asparagus with Butter and Parmigiano
Difficulty★★☆☆☆ Prep10 min Cook20 min servings4

An Emilian side dish of boiled asparagus baked with butter and Parmigiano. The richness of butter and depth of Parmigiano bring out the asparagus’s sweetness in a luxurious, simple dish.

Recipe developed and reviewed by the Tabelia Editorial TeamUpdated
100/ 100

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Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Asparagus500 g
  • Unsalted butter40 g
  • Parmigiano Reggiano, grated50 g
  • Salt1 pinch

Method

Preparation

1

Trim the asparagus

  • 1 Snap off the tough woody ends of the asparagus by hand.
  • 2 For thick spears, use a peeler to peel about 3 cm at the base.

Boiling

2

Boil the asparagus upright

  • 1 Boil the asparagus in salted water for 3–5 minutes, depending on thickness.
  • 2 Ideally, stand the spears upright with the tips out of the water and only the lower half of the stems submerged.
  • 3 Drain in a colander when the stems are tender and the tips still firm.

Assembly

3

Arrange with butter and cheese

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  • 2 Butter a gratin dish and arrange the asparagus in it.
  • 3 Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and place on top, then grate Parmigiano all over.

Baking

4

Bake until golden

  • 1 Bake at 200°C for 10–12 minutes.
  • 2 Serve hot.

Ready when

It is ready when the butter has melted and the Parmigiano has melted to a golden color.

A view of Parma
ParmaItaly Photo: Philip Mallis from Melbourne · CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized; display cropped)

About this dish

Green and white asparagus begin to appear in Emilia-Romagna’s spring markets. Around Parma, dishes combining spring vegetables with local dairy products have long been loved. Asparagi alla parmigiana is a contorno in which that seasonality meets the region’s dairy culture.

Parmigiano Reggiano is an aged cheese made in a limited area that includes Parma and Reggio Emilia. This dish layers the aromas of butter and cheese over asparagus’s gentle bitterness and spring sweetness. It may be served before or after a meat dish, or enjoyed as a light spring plate.

Even today, dishes pairing spring asparagus with eggs, butter and cheese are common in Emilia-Romagna. With only a few ingredients, the meeting of seasonal vegetables and regional cheese puts the local spring itself on the plate.

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