Freezing asparagus is a simple and quick trick, to always have them available, throughout the year. The asparagus season begins at the end of March and lasts about until the end of May, but you don’t have to give up on preparing delicious dishes even in winter or summer, such as a creamy risotto with asparagus, delicious soups, or a simple side dish to accompany main courses of meat.
Freezing asparagus is a simple and quick trick, to always have them available, throughout the year. The asparagus season begins at the end of March and lasts about until the end of May, but you don’t have to give up on preparing delicious dishes even in winter or summer, such as a creamy risotto with asparagus, delicious soups, or a simple side dish to accompany main courses of meat.
Asparagus generally means both the plant and its shoot, that is the edible part. To better keep their flavor and eliminate the enzymes that lead to spoilage, you can freeze the asparagus in the freezer: they will last from 6 to 8 months. You can do it both raw, and after having blanched them slightly. In any case, the technique is really very simple. If you are curious to find out, here’s how to freeze asparagus to keep them at their best.
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ToggleFreezing raw asparagus is really very simple. First, you need to wash them, under running water and carefully. Eliminate the stem, which is the hardest part, difficult to use in the kitchen. Dry them well with absorbent paper or a clean cloth and store them in the freezer inside the freezer bags. Prepare homogeneous portions, so that you can defrost the asparagus if necessary, even if only partially.
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Freezing cooked asparagus is just as simple, but takes a few more minutes. Remember that it is always important to choose asparagus as fresh as possible. How to recognize them? It’s simple: if they are fresh, the sprouts will be green, compact, and crunchy. If they tend to sag, it means they are deteriorating. In general, prefer thicker shoots over thin ones, as they are better able to withstand the low temperatures of freezing.
Wash all the sprouts under cold running water and make sure there are no soil residues or other impurities. Cut the stems with a sharp knife: they are the hardest part, you will hardly be able to reuse them in the kitchen.
If you want, you can chop the asparagus and make smaller pieces, but it is not mandatory. The important thing is that the pieces are roughly the same size so that they freeze in the same way.
At this point, bring a pot of water to a boil. It must be large and filled up to about 3/4 full. You will need to lightly boil the asparagus. Dip a bunch at a time and leave them in water for about 3 minutes, before draining them.
Meanwhile, make a bowl or pot of cold water and ice cubes. After boiling them, immediately pass the asparagus in here: the thermal shock will block cooking.
At this point, once cooled, the asparagus can be frozen in the freezer. Use plastic bags and divide them into bunches. Before storing them in the freezer, it is important to make sure that you have let all the air out when closing. If necessary, you can remove them from the freezer and prepare them in a pot without the need for any defrosting.