white asparagus wrapped in japanese eggplant

white asparagus, japanese eggplant

white asparagus wrapped in japanese eggplant
with a chiffonade of shiso
served over mizuna
spicy lemon miso dressing
blistered shishito peppers and grape tomatoes

white asparagus

Natasha, the 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! host the 5 Star Makeover Cooking Group, a fabulous monthly event for “sharing ideas and creating gourmet makeovers of selected classic dishes or flavor combinations.”

The 5 Star Makeover theme for April is a special seasonal ingredient, White Asparagus.

“For a brief two weeks at the end of April, the prized white asparagus is in season. In Germany, this mini-season is celebrated with a mania not to be missed, and every restaurant in on the tradition offers a special menu, called a Spargel Karte. These menus include anywhere from three to thirteen courses, all featuring the tender, sweet, white asparagus. Typical classic dishes include a white asparagus with Hollandaise sauce or a white asparagus soup. We invite you to think outside the box to create a unique gourmet dish featuring white asparagus.”

white asparagus

white asparagus

white asparagus

trim the tough stems, peel entire stalk with a vegetable peeler

white asparagus

boil in salted water, 8 to 10 minutes until tender, plunge in an ice bath, dry on paper towels

white asparagus and eggplant

thinly slice japanese eggplant lengthwise on a mandoline
overlap eggplant slices, top with about 5 asparagus spears
season with salt and pepper

white asparagus and eggplant

roll the eggplant around the spears, secure with a toothpick, trim off extra eggplant

white asparagus and eggplant
heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat
add a drizzle of olive oil, then add asparagus bundles

white asparagus and eggplant

turn asparagus bundles to brown all sides, add more olive oil as needed
remove to paper towel when all sides are browned, remove toothpicks

ooba

prepare a chiffonade of perilla (japanese shiso)
a member of the mint family, this herb adds a refreshing bright note to the dish

shishito

grill shishito peppers

blistered grape tomatoes

grill grape tomatoes until lightly charred

mizuna

place asparagus bundles over mizuna
a member of the mustard family, mizuna adds a peppery flavor and a beautiful feathery component

spicy lemon miso dressing

spicy lemon miso dressing

  • 3 T. lemon juice
  • 2 t. white miso paste
  • 1 1/2 T. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 small clove garlic
  • 1 t. aji amarillo paste (or other chile paste)
  • 4 T. grape seed oil

blend all ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor
white asparagus, eggplant, mizuna

drizzle lemon miso dressing around asparagus bundles
top with a chiffonade of perilla

white asparagus, japanese eggplant

serve with blistered shishito peppers and grape tomatoes

thank you to natasha and lazaro for including
Taste With The Eyes
in the
5 star makeover cooking group

white asparagus wrapped in eggplant

visit 5 Star Foodie and Lazaro Cooks! to experience all the fabulous white asparagus creations

36 thoughts on “white asparagus wrapped in japanese eggplant”

  1. What a lovely dish. So modern and artfully presented. You are a culinary artist. Love the Asian flavor profile. 5 Star dish all the way.

    Thank you for participating in our group and elevating it with your talent.

    Bravo!

  2. Gorgeous dish. I am crazy about shiso and never thought of it with asparagus… what a great idea. The presentation is spectacular…. the shapes and colors super. Although I am not sure I will find more white asparagus… I can so see this with green… fabulous for my vegetarian friends.!

  3. Your presentation is always gorgeous! I’d like to have this for Mother’s Day. I’ll be sure to leave some hints around the house, like your blog url placed in prominent places!

  4. Wowsa. You just put the 5-star in this makeover in a big way. Such a creative mixture of flavors, I would really love to try this.

  5. I’m ready to whoosh you away to my kitchen. You do make vegetables into the most delectable of dishes and oh so pretty. Natasha’s round-up is an eye-opener. I love coming here because you have me daydreaming about vegetables for the rest of the day.

  6. girl you knock it out the box every single time. this is so stunning in every way. the tomatoes, the eggplant, the sauce… gasp. bookmarked for myself and my parents for sure. they’ll love it. u rock!

  7. I thought eggplant had no more secrets for me but here you have shown me a new way to savor it with these delicate white asparagus and the wonderful Asian sauce and herbs. I can savor it just looking at the photos!

  8. These little bundles are truly beautiful and I love the flavors you’ve paired here. That spicy lemon miso dressing sounds fantastic!

  9. I’m seriously in love with your presentation -gorgeous!! such a clever idea to present it and the dressing is right up my alley. I never have shiso with anything else other than sushi. It sounds so intriguing to me to try shiso with vegetable!

  10. 5 Star in every sense of the phrase! I adore eggplant, and wrapped around the elusive white asparagus along with shishito peppers and the subtle Asian flavors – truly delectable! I’ll be trying this with the more common variety of asparagus 🙂

  11. Wow, that truly is a treat for all the senses. So glad to finally get to read all of the makeover posts – nearly time to start thinking about the next one!

  12. Wow. Beautiful dish. Just beautiful. 🙂 I am so sad to have missed the white asparagus. I believe I was in France the last time I had it.

    Is the Makeover event open to anyone who wants to join?

    [K]

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