This recipe is a twist on the very tasty combination of asparagus and pickled ginger (which you can absolutely use if you don’t have pickled magnolia at hand). We love to eat this as a warm or cold salad and you can make it a main by just serving it with boiled potatoes. Since you can prepare this dish easily, it is also great for when you have guests.
Serves 4 as a starter or side
500 g / 18 oz green asparagus (tips already snapped off) 40 g / 1.5 oz pickled magnolia blossoms (or pickled ginger) 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp roasted sesame oil 3 tbsp gomasio (sesame salt) or toasted sesame seeds
Heat the oven to 200°C/390°F fan. Spread the asparagus on one or two baking sheets covered with baking paper, drizzle with the olive oil and salt. Leave some space between the asparagus spears so that they can roast evenly. Roast the asparagus for about 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the spears), until tender and browned in places.
Meanwhile, prepare the marinade: Whisk together the soy sauce, maple syrup and sesame oil. Remove the asparagus from the oven, mix with the marinade in a large bowl, and add the magnolia blossoms (or the pickled ginger, minced a bit if you like). Sprinkle with the sesame salt (or toasted sesame seeds) and serve warm or cold.