Asparagus puree with broccoli and truffle makes a gourmet side dish you can make in advance that is perfect for a dinner party and works as a food styling hero too!
I love adding the flavor of truffle to this Asparagus puree recipe, with its rich umami tones and decadent connotations. It's a strong flavor, so don't overdo it or it can overpower everything else. But a hint of truffle in a dish really adds depth and makes it taste expensive.
“Truffle is the food for kings, gods and pigs.”
Antonio Carluccio, chef and restaurateur
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We need to cook our broccoli and asparagus until they are al dente or just cooked. Cooking them too much will result in a dull, green, and tasteless slush where all the flavor and nutrients have been leached out into the water. The asparagus and broccoli should be a vibrant and vivid green color, and all the flavors in this asparagus puree will really shine.
I frequently serve this asparagus puree with broccoli and truffle as an easy side dish to my roast lamb when the asparagus season is upon us in Springtime. There's nothing quite like the flavor of fresh asparagus.
If you're a huge fan of asparagus recipes like me, try this asparagus mousse amuse bouche, delicious asparagus and crispy prosciutto quiche, or this asparagus and comte cheese tart
Ingredients
Here is what you will need to make an asparagus puree with broccoli and truffle.
- Asparagus: fresh asparagus spears that are rich in green color, firm, and straight. Avoid bending and blemished asparagus, as that could indicate that they are not fresh.
- Broccoli: The broccoli and asparagus should be a vibrant green color after cooking.
- Truffle oil: Take care when buying truffle oil; an alarming number of products have zero truffles in them, only a fake flavoring. The real stuff might cost more, but you'll be paying for the quality of flavor that is priceless. As a general rule, white truffles are more expensive than black truffles. There are many different kinds of truffles, and it can be quite the delicious rabbit hole to throw yourself down (read more here) but for the purposes of this blog post - buy good quality truffle oil that is made by infusing oil with actual truffles and not just flavoring.
- Cooking water
- Salt and pepper for taste
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make asparagus puree
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to a rolling, constant boil.
- Prepare a bowl of ice-cold water next to it.
- Cut the broccoli into small to medium-sized florets, and try to keep them all to a similar size to ensure an even cooking time. Trim as much of the stalks off as you can.
4. Cut the asparagus into short pieces approximately 1-2 inches long. If the end of the asparagus spear seems tough and woody, remove it.
5. First, cook your broccoli by placing the florets into the boiling water and cooking for 4 or 5 minutes until they are tender but still a vibrant green color.
6. Remove them immediately to the iced water with a slotted spoon to halt the cooking process and leave them there until they have completely cooled.
7. Now cook the asparagus, which cooks much faster and will need one minute exactly before also being placed in ice water.
8. Reserve the cooking water, as we will need it in our truffle broccoli asparagus puree.
9. Add the cooled broccoli and asparagus to the liquidizer and add a small amount of cooking water to help get things moving.
10. Start the liquidizer and add more of the reserved cooking liquid a tablespoon at a time until it is able to blend everything down to a puree. Be patient and give the liquidizer time to do its work, don't add too much liquid too soon. Keep blending until you reach a smooth texture with no flecks of broccoli and asparagus present.
11. Now add your truffle oil. Adding a few drops will suffice as it has a strong flavor, and continue to blend the puree so it emulsifies.
12. The result will be a glossy, vivid green truffle broccoli asparagus puree - season with salt and pepper to taste at this stage, and add more truffle oil if you think it needs it.
A note on consistency, this puree should be a thick liquid that holds its shape if you put a spoonful on a plate and doesn't run. if you reach soup consistency, you've gone too far.
Place the broccoli asparagus puree in a saucepan to reheat, or store it in an airtight container until needed.
Hint: Rather than dumping all the broccoli or asparagus into the boiling water all at once, feed them in a handful at a time to stop the water temperature from dropping.
How to serve asparagus puree
- A gourmet puree like this asparagus puree serves several purposes on a plate of food. For food styling purposes, it is more decorative as you can create shapes with it, perhaps a smear upon which you place meat or other vegetables. Or delicate little piped dots or streaks, it will surely impress your guests whenever you are hosting.
- A puree also works in a similar way to a sauce, bringing elements together as well as preventing a dish from being too dry. I love playing with texture when creating a dish, and adding a puree to a plate of delicately balanced food can really elevate it.
- This asparagus truffle broccoli puree can also work as a pasta sauce for plant-based diets
Wine pairing for asparagus puree
A crisp and acidic Sauvignon Blanc is the ideal wine pairing for asparagus-based dishes.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few ways you can change up this asparagus puree with broccoli to suit you.
- Other vegetables - swap in some other green vegetables; just be sure to balance the flavors as brassica family veg (like broccoli) will have a stronger taste and can overpower others.
- Oils - don't like truffles? Use plain extra virgin olive oil.
- Spice - why not try using chili garlic oil to give this recipe a kick?
- Make asparagus puree for babies: you may need to strain the puree to remove any strings and add more water or baby milk till you reach desired consistency.
Equipment
You will need the following equipment to make your puree.
- Large saucepan
- Large mixing bowl
- Liquidizer - I use this one!
- Chopping board and knife
I use Robert Welch knives and recommend the entire range; it's what I trained with at chef school.
Storage
Store any leftover asparagus puree with broccoli and truffle in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge. This asparagus broccoli puree will be good for 2-3 days
You can also freeze this asparagus puree and use it within one month. If it is too watery when you defrost it, put it in a sieve over a bowl to allow the excess moisture to drain through.
Top tip
If you add too much water to this truffle broccoli asparagus puree by mistake, do not fear! Place it in a sieve over a bowl, and the excess water will drain away.
FAQ
The healthiest way to enjoy asparagus is by using gentle methods of cooking it, such as steaming, sautéing, and light boiling.
Yes, you can. You are going to work from the bottom going up and use the stir method, where you stir and blend at the same time to ensure everything is blended out.
More spring recipes
Recipe Card
Truffle Broccoli Asparagus Puree
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 food processor/liquidiser
- 1 chopping board and knife
Ingredients
- 100 grams broccoli
- 200 grams asparagus
- 1 teaspoon truffle oil
- 100 ml reserved cooking water
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to a rolling, constant boil.
- Prepare a bowl of ice-cold water next to it.
- Cut the broccoli into small to medium-sized florets, try to keep them all to a similar size to ensure an even cooking time. Trim as much of the stalks off as you can.
- Cut the asparagus into short pieces approximately 1-2 inches long. If the end of the asparagus spear seems tough and woody, remove it.
- First, cook your broccoli by placing the florets into the boiling water and cooking for 4 or 5 minutes until they are tender but still a vibrant green colour.
- Remove them immediately to the iced water with a slotted spoon to halt the cooking process and leave them there until they have completely cooled.
- Now cook the asparagus, which cooks much faster and will need one minute exactly before also being placed in ice water.
- Reserve the cooking water as we will need it in our truffle broccoli asparagus puree.
- Add the cooled broccoli and asparagus to the liquidiser and add a small amount of cooking water to help get things moving.
- Start the liquidiser and add more of the reserved cooking liquid a tablespoon at a time until it is able to blend everything down to a puree. Be patient and give the liquidiser time to do its work, don't add too much liquid too soon. Keep blending until you reach a smooth texture with no flecks of the broccoli or asparagus present.
- Now add your truffle oil. Adding a few drops will suffice as it has a strong flavour, and continue to blend the puree so it emulsifies.
- The result will be a glossy, vivid green truffle broccoli asparagus puree - season with salt and pepper to taste at this stage, and add more truffle oil if you think it needs it.
- A note on consistency, this puree should be a thick liquid that holds its shape if you put a spoonful on a plate and doesn't run. if you reach soup consistency, you've gone too far.
- Place the truffle broccoli asparagus puree in a saucepan to reheat, or store in an airtight container until needed.
Ashley says
Delicious and made my plate look so fancy!
Bobbie says
I love everything truffle! This purée is amazing.
Nicola says
This looks divine! Can't get past the flavour of truffle. So yum!
Sue says
Gorgeous and delicious!
Jeannie says
I like how simple the ingredients are and come up with something healthy!
Nancy says
Loooove this combo!!! Looks gorgeous too!!
nancy says
thanks for this extra dose of healthy - it made my plate fancy