Asparagus à la Vinschgau

Ingredients:

• 500 g white asparagus
• 500 g green asparagus
• 1 small onion
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 350 ml cream
• 1 l asparagus stock (homemade from the peel, cut-offs etc.)
• 3 sheets of gelatine
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• White balsamic vinegar
• 2 seabass fillets (á 180 –200 g)
• 2 lemons (juice and zest)
• Freshly chopped garden parsley, Piment d´Espelette (hot paprika from the Basque country)
• 10 wonton dough sheets (frozen)
• Vegetable oil (for deep-frying)

Preparation:

Peel the white and the green asparagus and remove the ends. Make an asparagus stock from the cut-offs and peel (+ some sugar, salt, a piece of hard white bread, two slices of lemon). Cut off the tips (5 cm at the top) of both varieties of asparagus, parboil them separately in some asparagus stock. Rinse with cold water to prevent the tips from cooking further. Cut the remaining asparagus into chunky pieces and toss in melted butter (not browned) with finely diced onion, and top up with approx. 600 ml asparagus stock. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a dash of white balsamic vinegar, place a lid on the pot and cook until soft. Add the cream and blend until smooth, strain afterwards. Cut the spears of the green asparagus (without tips) into small dice of the same size, parboil in salted water and rinse with cold water. Thicken 500 ml of the asparagus stock (the stock should be clear!) with 3 sheets of gelatine and season to taste. Stir in the diced green asparagus and leave to cool. Remove the skin and bones from the seabass fillets and chop finely into a tartar. Season with chopped parsley, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper and Piment d´Espelette. Fill the wonton dough sheets with the fish mixture, fold the 4 corners of the wonton together and deep-fry at 170°C in vegetable oil until crisp!

Presentation:

Froth up the white cream of asparagus soup and pour into a slim soup bowl. Pour the ice cold, slightly jellied, clear asparagus soup into a suitable glass, garnish with a spear of asparagus (green and with asparagus tips) and arrange together with the hot cream of asparagus soup and the deep-fried wonton parcels on a large plate.