Reminiscing of Barcelona

This week my local Safeway was selling white asparagus for just $2 a pound! I first noticed white asparagus during a trip to Barcelona, where it's pretty common at markets when in season. Then all of a sudden I started seeing them in California. Cool. White asparagus is milder and slightly sweeter than the regular green version. But I never knew what to do with them. In Barcelona, I had a wonderful dinner at a fine restaurant called Sauc and as an appetizer, I ordered a white asparagus dish that had this incredibly tender beef cube on top. It was simple and lucious. I decided to try to duplicate that dish this week, using the white asparagus (these were from Peru) as a nice contrast to the rich brown sauce I made by braising some beef. Braising is very simple to do and you're rewarded by this great tender meat; the longer you cook, the richer the reward. This definitely isn't a recipe you can make quickly, but it is simple. So it's a good dish to make on the weekend when you have more time. You'll feel like you're eating at a fine restaurant!