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Purple Asparagus Recipe With Truffle Oil

This Purple asparagus recipe makes for a great appetizer or side. Asparagus is a versatile vegetable and I love it sautéed and drizzled with truffle oil. This recipe will have your guests calling for more!

Shannon The Helpful Chef
December 26, 2022

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Calories 145-kcal

This is an awesome purple asparagus recipe. Quickly sautéed in a hot pan with fresh thyme, finished with aged truffle cheddar and a drizzle of truffle oil.

Purple asparagus is a variety that has a beautiful deep purple color and is known for its sweet, nutty flavor. Considered a delicacy in New Zealand and is often more expensive than their green cousins.

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I love cooking and eating this awesome vegetable, it is excellent as a side or appetizer. Asparagus is an amazing vegetable to accompany chicken, grilled steak, or even poached eggs and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and can be used as a salad ingredient.

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Awesome Purple Asparagus Recipe

This purple asparagus recipe is the best way to cook them. Sometimes I’ll change the accompaniments instead of truffle oil I’ll use extra virgin olive oil. Instead of truffle cheddar, I’ll use pecorino or Reggiano Parmigiano.

For this recipe, I’m using four ingredients. Purple asparagus, fresh thyme, truffle oil, and aged truffle cheddar. The truffle flavors bring out their flavor.

If you can’t get truffle oil or truffle cheddar you can use extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. You could also use a smoked or aged cheddar or even pecorino or Reggiano Parmigiano.

The Ingredients

20 Asparagus spears purple
½ tbsp Oil rice bran
3 sprigs Thyme fresh
¼ tsp Salt Himalayan pink
¼ tsp Black pepper freshly ground
50 g Cheddar cheese aged truffle
2 tbsp Oil extra virgin truffle

How to season food is an art that combines creativity, intuition, and a deep understanding of flavors. That transforms ordinary ingredients into extraordinary culinary masterpieces.

Raw Purple Asparagus and Fresh Thyme — *^{Purple Asparagus and Fresh Thyme}*

*^{Truffle Oil and Aged Truffle Cheddar}*

Prepping The Purple Asparagus

Peeling Asparagus — I peel them because it removes the stringy outer layer of skin and exposes the tender stems. This is easily done by holding the tip of the asparagus and lightly peeling the with a vegetable peeler. Peel them from top to bottom this will stop you from peeling the tender tips. The best peelers to use are the large speed peelers.

Trimming Asparagus — Hold them in the center of the stem with your left hand (if you’re right-handed) and the bottom of the stem with your right hand. Now bend the asparagus until the breaks at the bottom.

Purple asparagus recipe. Wash them to remove any soil, sand, or peelings. Pay attention to the tips where soil could become lodged in the spears. Make sure to dry them well with a paper or cloth towel.

Keep the bottom parts of the stems and the peelings as they will make delicious asparagus soup. Purple asparagus can be expensive so I don’t waste any part of them.

Quickly Sautéing Asparagus — Heating a pan or skillet to a high heat and adding a drizzle of rice bran oil. Add the asparagus and sauté for 1-2 minutes, toss in the fresh thyme, and season with Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Purple asparagus recipe. This is the best way to cook them. Adding fresh thyme incorporates another layer of flavor without overpowering the sweet asparagus flavor.

Chefs Pro Tip — Quickly sautéing purple asparagus will slightly caramelize them which will add more flavor. 1-2 minutes in a hot skillet or pan will keep them from wilting and turning a dull grey-green. They will also still be a little crispy.

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Best Way To Prep Purple Asparagus

Purple asparagus recipe there are a couple of steps you can take to prepare purple asparagus for cooking. Here is a basic guide for prepping them:

Rinse them under cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Pay attention to the tender tips.
Trim the woody ends off the asparagus by holding the spear near the bottom and bending it until it snaps. Keep the woody ends as they can make great soup.
If they have tough outer skin, you can peel it using a vegetable peeler. The best peelers to use are speed peelers. Start at the top just below the tender tip and peel towards the bottom, following the curve of the asparagus.

After you’ve peeled the asparagus wash them again to remove any leftover peelings. Now they are ready for sautéing or blanching.

Cooking Purple Asparagus Keeping It Simple

Purple asparagus or even asparagus in general is a delicious vegetable. The season in New Zealand is very short (mid-November to early January) so, I make the most of it.

When I cook them I tend to keep things simple. If I’m using them in a salad I’ll blanch them, if I’m going to serve them as an appetizer, side, or with a meal, I’ll sauté them.

Purple Asparagus Recipe — Sautéing asparagus requires a little more effort, however, it is worth it. When I sauté them I like to add fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary. They both complement the asparagus and bring out their flavor.

You can even go more simplistic and eat them raw with a little salt. Eating asparagus raw is fine, just make sure you wash them first. Slice them into thin slices and mix them through a salad.

Purple Asparagus Recipe — Blanching asparagus is easy, first, make sure you have a bowl of iced water handy. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a healthy amount of salt.

Place the asparagus into the boiling water for 30-45 seconds, and remove them from the boiling water and into the iced water. The process of blanching will lock in the flavor and bring out the natural color of the vegetable.

Recipe Notes

My purple asparagus recipe is easy to plate. Place the asparagus onto the plate in a neat pile. Using a Microplane grate the aged truffle cheddar over the top, followed by drizzling over the truffle oil. Garnish with some more fresh thyme leaves.

Purple asparagus is perfect with corned silverside or as a side dish with chicken. It will add a fresh element to the meal. They are healthy and easy to cook. My purple asparagus recipe takes no time, so give this recipe a try the next time you’ve got some asparagus.

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Does Purple Asparagus Taste Different?

Purple asparagus when prepped and cooked right tends to taste sweeter and is more flavorful and tender than the green variety. Especially if you peel it. My wife describes the flavor as being slightly nutty or earthy.

However, it’s worth noting that the flavor of purple asparagus can vary, this is because of how it is grown and prepared. Soil, water, and harvested at the peak of ripeness will have an impact on the flavor.

Purple asparagus that is cooked for a long time will lose its color and flavor. While asparagus that is cooked quickly at high temperatures will retain more of its flavor and color. The taste can be impacted by all of these factors.

Do You Cook Purple Asparagus The Same As Green?

Yes, purple asparagus can be cooked in the same way as the green variety. Both types have a similar texture and flavor, so you can use the same cooking methods for either.

No matter how you choose to cook asparagus, be sure to trim the woody ends off them. You can even peel them before cooking.

You can also season them with salt, pepper, and other herbs like thyme or rosemary. You can also add other flavors like truffle or avocado oil, and cheese like truffle cheddar, pecorino, Reggiano Parmigiano, or even feta.

Cooking Is A Science And A Skill

Cooking is a science and a skill that requires a deep understanding of both the technical and creative aspects. Cooking is also a matter of precise measurements and ratios.

For example, baking is particularly sensitive to accurate measurements and temperatures. A slight deviation in the amount of an ingredient or cooking degrees can result in a completely different outcome. So, to help you here is a handy little unit converter tool for cooking without guesswork.