Although asparagus is available year-round, the spears on shelves during fall and winter are mostly imported. The peak season for domestic asparagus is spring to early summer, which means these vibrant and healthy veggies are in season right now.
Asparagus was originally introduced to Japan in the Edo Period (1603-1868) by the Dutch as an ornamental plant. In the Taisho Era (1912-1926), they were grown in Hokkaido for canning as an export. Canned asparagus continued to be sent overseas until World War II, but the global market for Japanese asparagus declined drastically afterward. From then on, farmers in Hokkaido, Nagano, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and other regions started growing asparagus for domestic diners, leading to the tasty treats we have today.
Take advantage of these seasonal delights with this wafū (Japanese style) pasta dish that puts asparagus in the spotlight. The mirin brings out its inherent sweetness, and the soy sauce adds a punch of umami.
Serves 2
Prep time: 15 mins.
Cook time: 20 mins.
Ingredients:
- 12 asparagus spears
- 100 grams bacon
- 200 grams dry spaghettini
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- To taste: salt and black pepper
1. Cut off the roots of the asparagus, then use a vegetable peeler to shave the skin off the remaining ends. Cut 10 asparagus in half, and chop the remaining two into diagonal pieces roughly one-centimeter long.
2. Slice five bacon strips in half, then chop the rest of the bacon into five-millimeter-wide pieces.
3. Wrap the halved bacon strips around two pieces of halved asparagus to form little bundles. In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook these bundles for two minutes, then cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for an additional three minutes. Turn the bundles over and cook while covered for an additional three minutes.
4. While the asparagus panfries, bring to boil a pot of 1% salt water (for this amount of pasta, use two liters of water and one heaping tablespoon of salt). Add the spaghettini and cook for about 10 minutes until al dente (it should be still firm in the center when bitten into), then drain.
5. Remove the asparagus-bacon bundles from the frying pan. Turn the heat up to high, then add the chopped bacon and stir fry for three minutes. Add the chopped asparagus and stir fry for an additional two minutes.
6. Push the bacon and asparagus to the side of the pan, then place the asparagus-bacon bundles back in the pan. Turn the heat down to medium, add the mirin and soy sauce and simmer until the liquid has almost entirely cooked off.
7. Remove the bundles from the pan. Add the drained pasta to the pan, set the heat to medium-high and toss the spaghettini to coat it with the sauce. Season with black pepper to taste.
8. Plate the pasta and chopped asparagus and bacon then top with the asparagus-bacon bundles. Sprinkle it with a dusting of black pepper and serve.
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