White Asparagus with Amontillado Vinegar and Idiazábal Cheese

The historical go-to methods for white asparagus are to poach them in a flavorful broth or cook them with an ungodly amount of butter. Both are great, but we wanted brightness to accentuate the vegetable’s natural crisp minerality. At the restaurant, we slice the stalks on the bias and serve them raw, with an elegantly oxidative amontillado vinegar from Despaña (one of the best purveyors of Spanish food in New York), Marcona almonds (Spain again), and big leaves of parsley. If you don’t hav