Ingredients (for 4 people)

1 bunch of asparagus (about 500 g)

Corn flour for breading La Croccante Mulino Marello to taste

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Aromatic herbs to taste

Salt to taste

Preparation

Wash the asparagus and remove the hard, fibrous end part. If they are large you can steam them or blanch them for 10 minutes, this step halves the cooking time in the oven. If the asparagus is thin they should be placed directly on the baking tray covered with baking paper. Sprinkle the corn flour generously over the asparagus, season with salt and add oregano, sage, thyme or rosemary to taste. Complete with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Close the baking paper over the asparagus, thanks to this measure they will remain soft and tasty. Cook in the oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature, ideal accompanied with a homemade vegetable mayonnaise.

Curiosity

Asparagus is a typical spring delicacy. Widely spread throughout our territory, they deserve more and more space on our table.

These particular sprouts are purifying and diuretic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, invigorating. Consuming asparagus once a week will be good for our intestines thanks to the richness of fibre, it deflates us, cleans us up and helps us dispose of what has accumulated during the winter.

The wisdom is to consume them in a simple and genuine way. Therefore, it is forbidden to combine them with butter or fried foods. We prefer steaming or short baking in the oven.

The recipe for asparagus gratin in foil is an easy way to make asparagus more appetizing and different from the usual. Our tradition leads us to eat them mainly together with eggs or to use them as an ingredient for a risotto.

Prepared in this way, with a short delicate cooking in the oven using the foil technique, our sprouts take on flavour, become crunchy and can thus represent an original side dish to bring a vegetable burger to the table rather than a chickpea "omelette".

Recipe by Doctor Isabella Vendrame, food coach psychologist, www.isabellavendrame.com