Some ingredients arrive in our kitchen and quietly change the mood of the whole menu. Gozo’s asparagus is one of them, and it has a name behind it: Lucija.
Lucija and her family are the only farmers in Malta and Gozo who grow asparagus. It is a crop that asks for patience, care and a deep knowledge of the land, and on an island better known for tomatoes, capers and prickly pears, it is something rather special.
What makes their achievement even more remarkable is that they coax not one but two seasons from their fields each year: one in autumn and another in spring. Two brief windows when tender green spears, grown just a short drive from our door, find their way onto plates across the islands.
Ask any chef in Malta or Gozo and they will tell you: when Lucija’s asparagus comes in, the kitchen comes alive. It is a chance to celebrate truly local produce, picked at its peak and full of flavour that simply cannot survive a long journey from abroad.
Its reputation has travelled well beyond Gozo, too. The demand is such that the family sets up once a week at the farmers’ market in Ta’ Qali, Malta, where regulars know to arrive early.
At Maldonado Bistro, cooking with the seasons is at the heart of everything we do, and there are few better examples of that than Lucija’s asparagus. When it is in season, we are delighted to feature it on both our à la carte menu and our wine tasting menus.
It is a wonderfully versatile ingredient. It can take centre stage as the star of a fresh, bright salad, or play a supporting role alongside one of our main dishes, where it pairs beautifully with grilled fish. However we serve it, the aim is the same: to let its fresh, delicate character shine.
There is something fitting about enjoying one of Gozo’s most treasured harvests beneath the vaulted limestone ceiling of our 17th-century cellar, a space built from the island itself.
The asparagus season is short, and that is part of its magic. When it returns this autumn, we would love to share it with you, perhaps with a glass of local wine alongside.
So here’s to Lucija and her family, whose hard work reminds us why local produce is worth celebrating.
Book your table at Maldonado Bistro and taste Gozo’s asparagus while the season lasts.
