Oven-roasted purple asparagus

After a trip to Bolzano, specifically Ora, my husband bought these beautiful, prized asparagus, both purple and green. I had never bought or tasted purple asparagus before, but I must say they are delicious. Unlike the usual asparagus, one way to cook these is in the oven; I simply served them with eggs cooked in butter.

The original explains that the main difference between green and purple asparagus is their colour, attributed to different exposure to sunlight during growth: the purple ones grow partly underground, while green asparagus grows entirely above ground, and the exposed part becomes purple through the production of anthocyanins. It describes anthocyanins as water-soluble pigments belonging to the flavonoid family, and asparagus as rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre, with purple asparagus containing more antioxidants and anthocyanins.

I trim a small piece from the woody ends.

I wash them, spread them on a tea towel and dry them.

I cut the thicker ones in half.

I arrange them on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and season with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. You can add a garlic clove if you like.

I bake at 200°C in my fan oven for 15/20 minutes, turning halfway through. They should be tender but still slightly crisp. This method concentrates their flavour and gives them a little browning. As there were so many, I divided some into vacuum-sealed bags and froze them raw, trimmed and washed.