- Perfectly hand peeled and prepared
- Extraordinary size
- Buttery and tender
Creamy white asparagus spears, unspoiled by the sunlight. But more than that – the extraordinarily thick spears are so soft and buttery you can cut them with your fork. King Juan Carlos sampled a couple of these extra thick beauties from El Navarrico and exclaimed 'Cojonudos!’ which is slightly off-color slang for terrific!
What a striking appetizer to share with your family and special guests. Spaniards traditionally serve tender white asparagus spears atop an ensalada mixta (fresh mixed garden salad).
We enjoy these huge beauties au natural, with a dollop of mayonnaise or alioli and a glass of wine. They literally melt in your mouth!
In early spring, shoots of an asparagus fern emerge from moist, rich and well-drained soil. The asparagus spears we are familiar with in the local market are the emerging green shoots that are cut off and bound in a bundle.
The thinnest ones from a young plant are often preferable, because they are likely to be tender. We are wary of the thick spears from the older plants, because although they are flavor-packed they tend to be tough and woody.
You do not have to make that choice. Why not have flavorful asparagus that is both thick and tender? That is what our artisan growers provide.
As the shoots first emerge from the soil, they protect them from the sunlight by forming mounds of soil to surround each group of shots. As the spears grow a little higher, they supplement the shield by hand, by forming the mound with more soil. Then they cut the extraordinarily thick spears by hand, one by one.
El Navarrico is one of the few places in Spain that follow the traditional way. Most producers outsource asparagus to China, since artisan production is so labor intensive and non-industrial.
Grown only in Navarra, our product bears the seal of Denomination of Origin, which guarantees its quality and authenticity. Our friends at Navarrico grow the “Cojonudo” white asparagus spears in such limited quantity, that some years we buy the entire harvest to make sure we have enough.
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