THE NEXT MEAL
Asparagus spears pop out of the dark earth giving us the green-light signal that warmer, brighter days are finally here. They are a welcome late-spring and early-summer flavour to perk up our plates, just as some people might feel they’ve been living under dark earth for most of the year themselves. THERE'S LOTS OF ASPARAGUS
Here for a good time but not a long time, it’s important to try and get the most out of your stalks; keeping asparagus moist is helpful for this, so keep spears in a jar of water in the milk compartment of your fridge. If you want to use your asparagus raw for salads, pop the spears in some icy water to help give them a bit more life if they’re looking tired. Also, although the woody ends of spears can be annoying, they’re still totally edible with enough cooking so avoid snapping and discarding them – if you’re not going to use them immediately, freeze the ends and add them to sauces and soups at a later date.
BURRATA WITH CHARRED ASPARAGUS & PICKLED CHERRIES SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 15 MINUTES / COOKING 5 MINUTES
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil
400g asparagus
1-2 balls of burrata or mozzarella cheese zest of 1 lemon extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Place the cherries in a bowl with ½ teaspoon salt and the sugar and stir to combine, then set aside for 15 minutes. Add the vinegar and set aside until ready to use. You can use store-bought pickled cherries ahead of cherry season.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a high heat. Trim ends off the asparagus if necessary. Add the spears to the hot pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, tossing occasionally – the asparagus should be slightly blistered and charred and just cooked. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with sea salt. Place the ball of burrata next to the asparagus and garnish the dish with lemon zest, cracked pepper, olive oil and pickled cherries with some of their juices. Serve with toasted bread or crackers or on its own.
TRY THESE TOO... Grilled sardines with pickled asparagus
Quickly blanch asparagus and place in a bowl of iced water to prevent over-cooking. Transfer to a jar or container with a few strips of lemon zest and lightly crushed garlic cloves. Heat together a brine of 2 cups apple cider vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon raw sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and pour over asparagus. Leave to pickle and cool for 2-4 hours then serve with grilled sardines and toasted sourdough.
Shaved asparagus & broad beans with lemon & black pepper
Use a vegetable peeler to shave asparagus into thin strands. Dress with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and a small crushed clove of garlic. Add just-cooked broad beans, fresh mint and some grated pecorino and toss.
Asparagus rolls with saffron aioli
Roast or blanch well-seasoned asparagus and wrap snugly in generously buttered soft bread of your liking – (crusty sourdough, we love you but now is not your moment). Whisk together good-quality mayonnaise with lemon juice, bloomed threads of saffron, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a crushed roasted or raw garlic clove. Serve mayonnaise as a dip for asparagus rolls. Pour a glass of chilled, zippy white wine like chenin blanc or a dry riesling and enjoy.
Barbecued asparagus with wasabi & garlic butter
In a food processor, whizz together 100g room-temperature butter with the zest of a lemon, 1 tablespoon wasabi paste, a good pinch of sea salt, 2 cloves garlic and some fresh tarragon or parsley. Barbecue asparagus until blistered and just cooked, then place in a large bowl with the butter and toss. Tip onto a platter and top with fresh herbs and a sliced, barbecued lemon.