White Asparagus in radish "Bacon"

Mid-April to late June is a white asparagus season in Germany and you can find this vegetable everywhere! Suddenly every restaurant that serves German food has a bunch of asparagus dishes on the menu and aside from it being available in the supermarkets, asparagus stands pop up here and there.

I first found out about asparagus when I have already moved to Germany. I might have heard about it in Ukraine and I have seen green asparagus on TV but I barely had an idea of what it actually was.

I'm sure over the last 8 years the assortment of foods in Ukrainian supermarkets has grown but "back in the day" I don't remember seeing asparagus ever.

White asparagus has a distinct taste and it is my experience that people either love it or hate it. I am definitely among the former ones and that is why this time I present a veganized version of a traditional German dish.

The recipe below is perfect for spring or summer. It is very easy to make, it is refreshing, and does not even require a lot of spices. In fact, normally you would barely use spices at all, the flavor profile of the vegetable enhanced only with butter or hollandaise sauce and moderate amounts of salt and pepper.

I personally think the dish is a bit too bland without the little extra something. And that is why I prefer to add a combination of vegan bacon and arugula into the mix.

The "bacon" recipe part here is inspired by a well-known chef Sauce Stache. He is an absolute expert when it comes to creating vegan meat substitutes. I find his "bacon" recipe idea that I modified to be a perfect fit because this "bacon" doesn't crisp up too much as long as you don't over-fry it. This makes it possible to wrap it around the asparagus neatly.

If you can't find white asparagus where you live you can substitute with green asparagus. Even though it does taste different but the dish will still be amazing.

Tips and notes:

I used store-bought vegan hollandaise sauce for this recipe. But you can surely make your own. Stay tuned for a recipe. Alternatively, you can omit the sauce altogether.
It's best to use new potatoes for this recipe but you can use any potatoes as long as they are small.
If you cannot find white asparagus you can use the green one.
Keep in mind that the "bacon" recipe will leave you with lots of leftover "bacon".

Vegan White Asparagus in Radish "Bacon"

Ingredients

8 small to mid-size potatoes

6-8 white asparagus stalks

8 strips daikon radish "bacon"

2-3 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil for frying

150 grams vegan butter

vegan hollandaise sauce (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

handful of arugula

For the radish "bacon":

250 grams daikon radish

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 tablespoon agave

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. First, make the "bacon". Using a potato peeler peel the outer layer of the daikon radish and discard it. Now keep peeling to make long strips. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and add the strips. Let the strips marinate for about 30 minutes or if possible overnight. NOTE: you will have a lot of leftover bacon after making this recipe.

2. While the "bacon" is marinating put the unpeeled potatoes into a pot filled with water. Wait until the water boils on high heat then reduce the heat to medium and cook the potatoes until tender. A knife tip pierced through the potato should slide in smoothly.

3. While the potatoes are cooking prep the asparagus. Cut off about 10 centimeters from the bottom of the stem, or use your hand to brake off the bottom part of the stem. It will naturally break where it should. Next, you want to peel off the tough outer edge of the asparagus with a potato peeler.

4. Now put asparagus in boiling water. I like to use a frying pan for this because it is big enough so that all parts of the asparagus are submerged in water. Boil the asparagus until tender, just like the potatoes. It will take about 10-15 minutes for the vegetables to be ready.

5. Once the asparagus is ready, drain the water and set aside covered so that it retains its heat.

6. Now fry the "bacon" strips for about 1 min on high heat. Drizzle a bit of oil if needed. Make sure the bacon is only brown on the edges. If it gets too crispy then you will not be able to proceed to the next step.

7. Once the potatoes are ready, drain the water. Add the butter into the pot with the potatoes and put the pot back on the hot stove letting the butter melt over the potatoes.

8. Once the "bacon" is ready transfer it to a clean bowl. Carefully take each piece and wrap it around the asparagus. I use 1-2 strips of bacon per asparagus. Transfer the "bacon" wrapped asparagus to a plate.

9. Now add the butter-covered potatoes and pour some vegan hollandaise sauce if using over the dish. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.

10. Add arugula on the side and serve.