Ingredients :

• White asparagus — Take the largest ones you find — minimum 14-16 mm caliber. An asparagus that is too thin dries out when smothered instead of gently confitting. Choose them firm, with tight tips and a base that doesn’t fray. Asparagus from La Charité-sur-Loire if you come across them, otherwise any beautiful seasonal white asparagus will do perfectly.
• Red bell peppers (for the sauce) — The sweet and fleshy base of the sauce. You need to roast them until the skin blisters and blackens — that’s where the smoky flavor really builds up. No shortcuts with jarred peppers: the texture will be different and the flavor less pronounced.
• Smoked paprika — Get Spanish Pimentón de la Vera if you can. It’s what gives that barbecue character without embers. A level teaspoon is enough — its intensity rises quickly and turns bitter if you overdo it.
• Whole hazelnuts — To be dry-roasted in a pan until the skin cracks and the smell becomes distinctly toasted hazelnut — 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Avoid store-bought pre-roasted hazelnuts: they are often too salty and the aroma is stale. Let cool before roughly chopping with a knife.