Rice and shine
In my early days of Face booking, I succumbed to answering one of those quizzes that supposedly give you an insight into your own personality. It was the “Which Vegetable are You?” quiz. I did it because I was curious. Or maybe because I was bored. Extremely bored.
Regardless, the quiz told me that I was an asparagus. “A delicate creature by nature,” it said, as well as something that meant I, or rather asparagus people, can stand on their own. So, I’ve held the lofty asparagus in high regard since then; each time I bite into a spear, I can’t help but wax poetic about its seemingly independent nature. Uh, right.
Seems I’m not the only one. Apparently this oh-so-delicate vegetable has been a favorite of foodies all across history for the past 2,000 years. Particularly prized is the white asparagus, the larger, chunkier and, surprisingly, more tender version of the green variant that is more popular on the local scene.
The white asparagus gets its non-color characteristic from chlorophyll deprivation or the process of etiolation, which is the deprivation of light. Dirt is packed all around the emerging stalk, preventing light penetration.
Compared to its green cousin, the white asparagus is nuttier (think watercress but with more depth to it). The white sprout also has a slightly milder flavor than the green one, which doesn’t necessarily detract from its appeal. In fact, the white asparagus is such a rare and welcome treat that The Peninsula reserves a few weeks each year just to celebrate its gustatory delights. The White Asparagus Festival returns to The Peninsula Manila’s Old Manila restaurant on May 20 and will run until June 12.
“The asparagus is the king of vegetables,” says Gavin Sellars, Old Manila’s chef de cuisine, further elevating the spear’s already valued disposition. He explains that it goes well with any type of dish: meat, seafood, soups, salads and, as Facebook has already revealed, doesn’t have to be mixed with other vegetables to make a statement. It is also “the most luxurious of all asparagus varieties and has a full-flavored delicious taste — not to mention it is rich in vitamins and minerals.” As the season for asparagus is starting, The Peninsula has flown in spears fresh from Baden and Rhineland Pfalz in Southern Germany for their food festival.
And Sellars rightfully gives the white asparagus the royal treatment with a bevy of dishes that would probably make even Jeffrey Steingarten’s double chin quiver with delight. The chef de cuisine’s menu for this year’s White Asparagus Festival include butter-poached white asparagus with a nape of sauce hollandaise, baby jacket potatoes, and a consommé of white asparagus and truffles with wolfberries, green peas and morel mushrooms for starters. Main dishes are a herbed salmon fillet with buttered white asparagus, glazed baby leeks and vanilla syrup; slow-roasted tenderloin of veal with a crown of white asparagus, young spinach and natural reduction; and sautéed tiger prawns on asparagus risotto, mascarpone and morel mushrooms.
As a sneak peek, we got to taste a consommé concoction, a slice of both white and green asparagus and Atlantic salmon infused with vanilla. This soup was, in itself, very tasty, almost sweet. The vanilla in the salmon was very discernable that Lali Herrera of Business World referred to it as “dessert meat.” Chef Sellars also served a lobster ravioli with infused chardonnay and white asparagus sauce.
For my vegetarian option, I got an excellent mushroom-packed ravioli, which just proved that, if the chef is willing to cook something special for you, it pays to have a diet restriction. For vegetarians, he offers a classic white asparagus dish served either with hollandaise or beurre noisette and baby potatoes. What could be loftier than that?
Tender white spears are not the only delicacy being celebrated this month at The Peninsula. The hotel’s well-regarded Italian restaurant Mi Piace pays tribute to risotto, that glorious dish in every great Italian menu. According to Mi Piace’s Italian chef de cuisine Massimo Veronesi, one hasn’t really experienced great Italian food until he or she has had the chance to set her sights on and touched her tongue to a great risotto, the rice dish touted to be Italy’s most welcome comfort food. The Risotto Perfetto food festival will prove this claim. (Forget the carb count for now.)
Running from May 11 to 30, this festival gives more than a sneak taste of what was traditionally a peasant dish from Northern Italy. (Over time, however, risotto has been “dressed up” with elegant ingredients and with intricate cooking styles so that it varies from being a simple accompaniment to a hearty fare to being the stellar main dish in any meal.) Veronesi works with different kinds of risotto grains for different dishes. He came up with a pumpkin risotto made from vialone nano, a compact and rounded grain ideal for no-stir risottos and rice salads. It was served with truffle-roasted scallops and a saffron mussel broth.
Another dish promotes carnaroli, often referred to as the “caviar of rice.” It is finer, longer and starchier than vialone nano and is great for absorbing liquids and oils. Veronesi created a green pea carnaroli risotto and paired this with foie gras-filled double-breasted quail.
With these dishes, Veronesi makes sure his ingredients don’t overpower the taste and texture of his chosen grains. His grains are a “vehicle” of sorts, something to carry about the exceptional ingredients. For one of my vegetarian options, chef Veronesi just added truffle oil and truffle slivers to al dente carnaroli risotto. It was blissful! In another, he proves that, like pasta, risotto can be great with cheese, or even with just cheese. My vialone nano with fresh Parmesan cheese? Simple but ultimately satisfying. Just how comfort food should be.
* * *
E-mail comments to ana_kalaw@pldtdsl.net.
For inquiries about the Risotto Perfetto of White Asparagus festivals or to make reservations, call The Peninsula Manila at 887-2888, local 6748 and 6749 (Old Manila), local 6737 and 6738 (Mi Piace) or 6694 (restaurant reservations).
