Asparagus season is a chance to celebrate a spring treat.
Short and sweet, the asparagus season is a chance to celebrate one of spring’s best treats.
Asparagus is abundant and I’m making the most of the lovely sweet, grassy treat, cooking it as an entrée with butter, adding it to salads and incorporating it into family dinners. It’s one of a handful of vegetables that are truly seasonal: it makes its first appearance in late September and should be available right through to Christmas. I found a bundle of white asparagus in my local store this week. These spears, highly prized in Europe but rarely seen here, are sweeter and more subtly flavoured than the green and purple varieties.
There’s a long-running discussion about the relative merits of thick asparagus spears and the thinner, more delicate stalks. My preference is for the chunkier version, though the tough, woody ends need to be removed (use them in soups and stews) and the rest of the lower portions should be peeled so they’re not stringy. Asparagus grows in fairly sandy soil, so the little buds along each spear can harbour particles of sand or dirt; peeling and rinsing will remove traces of grit.
Asparagus needs only brief simmering or steaming. Find the freshest spears you can, and to keep them glossy and green, cook them in well-salted water for 2-3 minutes, then immediately plunge them into cold water. If they’re left longer in the hot water, they’ll soften and turn a rather unappealing khaki colour and the tips will collapse.
My new favourite breakfast involves the fresh combination of asparagus and egg.
BREAKFAST ASPARAGUS WITH CRISPY EGG
12 fresh asparagus spears
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 free-range eggs
4 slices sourdough toast
2 tbsp butter (optional)
50g parmesan, shaved into thin strips salt and freshly ground black pepper
This recipe is really an assemblage of deliciously fresh ingredients. You’ll need to do three things at once if you want everything piping hot: simmer the asparagus, fry the eggs and make the toast. If that’s too difficult, make the toast first and keep it warm in a hot oven.
Trim the woody ends from the asparagus, and if the spears are really thick, use a potato peeler to shave a little of the tough outer skin away from the ends.
Put a large pot of salted water on the stove top, and when it comes to the boil, add the asparagus spears and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Once they’re tender but still bright green, quickly rinse them under running cold water and place them on a hot serving plate.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a very hot frying pan. This may sound like a lot of oil, but it’s the best way to get very crispy eggs as they must cook very quickly. Once the oil is starting to smoke, break in the eggs and cook for just 1-2 minutes, so the white is cooked and the yolk is heated but still runny. The fresher the eggs and the hotter the pan, the less the egg will run all over the pan.
Make the toast and butter generously. Place the egg on top of the asparagus, season and serve with the buttered toast and a few shavings of parmesan.
Serves 2.
Wine match: champagne.
PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS, MOZZARELLA AND HERBED ANCHOVY SAUCE
1 cup fresh garden herbs (parsley,
mint, chervil)
1 small can very good anchovies
(I used Ortiz)
1 lemon salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups spiral pasta shapes (or any
other shapes) 200g asparagus
1 ball of fresh mozzarella 2 small red chillies
The sauce for this dish is best made close to serving time, but if you want to make it ahead, do so leaving the lemon juice out until you’re ready to serve, as the acidity will cause the herbs to turn an unattractive dark green colour.
To make the sauce, roughly chop the herbs, discarding any woody stalks. Place in a food processor or blender with the anchovies, lemon zest and juice, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and the olive oil and process to make a chunky sauce.
Taste and add extra salt if needed, but note that anchovies are very salty.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, then add the pasta and cook for about 7 minutes, or according to the instructions on the packet. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it well and immediately toss in a tablespoon of olive oil to prevent it sticking together.
Meanwhile, trim the asparagus and