Cooking Asparagus Backwards

Roasted, blanched, sautéd, steamed, grilled -  everyone has their favourite way to cook asparagus. While those methods are fine, there is a way of cooking this vegetable that's been popular since the days of ancient Rome.  Found in the world's oldest surviving cookbook, "Apicius De Re Coquinaria," is a collection of Imperial Roman recipes, compiled around the first century A.D. One of them recommends cooking the asparagus in boiling water “rursum,” which is translated to mean “backwards”, or stood stalk-side down in boiling water that doesn’t reach all the way up the stalk. Done this way, you get the stalks tenderized by the boiling water, while the tips are tenderized by the steam. It may take longer than most methods, but it can be made in the background while preparing other dishes, and it's worth appreciating a cooking technique that has stood up so well to the test of time.

Ingredients and Equipment:

1 bunch of asparagus
Mason jar or any jar with a wide opening
heavy cream^*
butter^*
cloves of garlic^*
lemon juice^*
pinch of nutmeg^*
salt^*

* - optional

1. Place the asparagus in a dry jar. If you want to add some flavour to your asparagus, fill the jar with a mix of the remaining ingredients. 
2. Put the jar in a large stockpot, and add water to the pot water until the level is about 5 cm lower than the top of the jar. Move the stockpot to the stovetop, and let the water boil.
3. Remove the jar from the water after about 25 minutes. You'll know they're done when the tips start to droop. Feel free to dip the tips in the jar if you added the flavoring ingredients.