An asparagus recipe for gourmets:
Peel asparagus spears, perhaps chop woody ends into small pieces. Peel carrots, coarsely chop and grind in a blitz chopper. Remove cardamom seeds from capsules and coarsely crush in mortar. Peel zest from half a lemon with a zester, squeeze 2 tbsp juice.
Add sugar, cardamom, carrots, a tiny bit of salt, 300 ml water, juice of one lemon and zest and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until there is almost no liquid left and the carrots start to caramelize.
Toast the flaked almonds in a frying pan without fat, turning until golden brown. Peel the orange with a zester and chop finely, squeeze 75 ml orange juice.
Bring salted water to the boil and cook the asparagus spears in it for 8 minutes. Add orange juice and peel with butter, salt, vegetable soup and cayenne pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Mix in the couscous and barberries, remove the saucepan from the stove and close. Allow to swell for 8 min according to package directions. Loosen couscous with a fork and perhaps keep warm in a fine strainer over steam. Pluck mint leaves from stems and chop coarsely.
Arrange the well-drained asparagus spears on the couscous, spread the carrots evenly on top, and sprinkle with almond kernels and mint.
Preparation tent: 1 hour, 15 min.