HAVE A CRACK

MAKE THE MOST OF THE FINAL DAYS OF SPRING BY EXPERIMENTING WITH THE SEASON’S STAPLES

There’s always a bit of trial and error in the kitchen. Truth be told, many of the dishes I offer you are born this way. Asparagus and chorizo from my local farmers’ market and a few eggs from our girls became this simple celebration of fresh fare. Taking a few ingredients to deliver something delicious calls to mind a saying: Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.

ASPARAGUS, CRISPY EGG, CHORIZO VINAIGRETTE Serves: 4 INGREDIENTS

Sea salt

White wine vinegar

6 free-range eggs

150g plain flour

200g fine breadcrumbs

3 large bunches asparagus 75g butter

200g chorizo sausage, cut into 1cm pieces

2 golden shallots, finely chopped ½ small bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Wild sorrel, optional

METHOD

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil then season and acidulate generously with salt and vinegar. Carefully crack four eggs into individual poaching dishes, place into the tumbling water and cook for three to four minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water to arrest the cooking process. Once cold, drain eggs on absorbent paper. Crack remaining eggs into a small bowl and place flour and breadcrumbs into similar sized bowls. Carefully toss the poached eggs in flour and shake off excess. Next roll each through the egg, draining off excess. Finally toss through the breadcrumbs. For a thicker coating repeat the last two steps. Peel the ends of the asparagus and snap off woody ends. Chorizo vinaigrette: Melt butter in a frying pan, over medium heat. Add chorizo and cook gently until golden. Add shallots and cook until soft then add parsley. To serve, deep fry eggs at 180C for four minutes. Meanwhile poach asparagus spears in boiling salted water for three minutes, then drain. Serve asparagus alongside egg and dress with chorizo vinaigrette and sorrel.