Food & Drink
Asparagus offers so much choice, but try to stick to British – it’s better for the environment and for you
Neil Forbes cooks with British asparagus, plus Rose Murray Brown on why sherry lovers should seek out Palo Cortado
Ihave the fondest memories of working ( years ago) at The Peat Inn in Fife for the charismatic David Wilson and his wonderful wife Patricia. I was living in Forfar at the time and I would pick up the asparagus and sea kale for the week from Eassie farm just outside Glamis.
The Patullo family still farm there and their Glamis asparagus is as good as ever, and always ready a little later than the excellent Wye Valley harvest.
We all know we should buy only in- season British asparagus. Even though it may be tempting to purchase South American spears available all year, British asparagus is farmed sustainably, unlike Peru where the irrigation required can have very negative effects.
I enjoy anticipating the arrival of the first British asparagus, just as I do the start of the local strawberry season. Flicking through old cookery books, I didn’t find many old asparagus recipes but I did discover it was eaten by Lady Saltoun, according to her recipe book of 1688. Grown in a walled garden in East Lothian, it was served as a side vegetable with lashings of butter. I encourage you all to eat British asparagus. ■
Asparagus with hollandaise
Is there anything finer or more elegant than steamed asparagus spears with warm butter and salt? I think not. But this recipe adds a little more flavour to this classic dish in the form of hollandaise sauce. It can be a bit tricky to master, but is well worth the effort.
If you can whisk cream, you can make hollandaise! It’s a temporary emulsion – unlike mayonnaise which is a permanent emulsion – so it mustn’t get too hot or too cold. Don’t buy the jars or packets, have a go at this.
Serves two
4 to 6 spears per person 100ml white wine
100ml cider vinegar
4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 shallot, peeled and finely sliced 3 egg yolks
150g to 200g unsalted and clarified warm butter juice of half a lemon good salt and pepper watercress and radish to serve with
1 To prepare the asparagus, trim the bottom of each spear then blanch in salted, boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Refresh in cold water if you wish to chargrill or barbecue.
2 Add the wine, vinegar, bay, shallot, peppercorns and thyme to a small pot and bring to the boil on a moderate heat. Reduce the liquid until two tablespoons remain. Strain.
3 Place the egg yolks in a clean metal bowl and add a tablespoon of the reduced liquid and whisk.
4 Bring a pan of water to the boil and place the metal bowl over the pot, ensuring the water doesn’t come into contact with the bowl. Whisk quickly as the egg yolks gently cook. Use an electric whisk if you prefer. Increase the speed until the egg yolk mix is light, frothy and thick. This will take around 5 minutes.
5 Remove from the heat and continue to gently whisk as you trickle in the warm, clarified butter in a steady stream. The volume will increase and it will start to resemble hollandaise sauce. Season with lemon juice and salt, and maybe pepper. This sauce will split easily, so don’t get it too hot or cold.
6 To serve, season the asparagus and divide between two warmed plates. Top with the hollandaise and garnish with a few watercress leaves and slices of radish.
Crab cakes with asparagus
I adore a crab cake. These are made with the sweetest brown and white crab meat from Fife. Always buy the fresh stuff and pick through it to make sure there’s no shell. I like to add a touch of chilli and a few chopped chives to the mix. And a ratio of one third mash to two thirds crab works for me. Then dust with a light coating of flour and pan- fry in a good rapeseed oil. Serve with a wedge of lemon and some buttery asparagus spears for a lovely, light supper dish.
Serves two
200g good quality white and brown crab meat, picked through to ensure no shell
100g plain mashed potato, no butter added half a small red chilli, finely diced ( optional) a few chives, chopped very finely zest of half a lemon
6 to 8 asparagus spears
1 tbsp warm butter
2 tbsp cold- pressed rapeseed oil good salt and pepper
1 tbsp flour for dusting
2 wedges of lemon
1 Mix the crab meat with the mashed potato and give a good season. Add the chilli, chives and lemon zest. Taste and season again.
2 Form the mixture into 6 little balls and flatten with a palette knife to make cakes about 1 to 2cm thick. Season the flour and dust each crab cake.
3 Heat the rapeseed oil in a good frying pan and fry the cakes until just golden brown. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes each side on a moderate heat.
4 Cut the asparagus spears into 2 to 3 inch lengths and blanch in salted, boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes.
Drain and toss through the warm butter. Season.
5 Serve on warmed plates with a
wedge of juicy lemon.
Vanilla ice- cream
Spring has finally arrived with long, warm evenings so here’s a simple vanilla ice- cream recipe. If you have a churner, great – if not, place the mix in a freezer and give it a good whisk every half hour or so until frozen. I insist on vanilla pods and double cream, they make a huge difference.
Makes just over a litre 500ml double cream 500ml whole milk
10 egg yolks
225g unrefined caster sugar 1 vanilla pod
1 Split the vanilla pod lengthways and discard the seeds.
2 Place the milk and cream in a thickbottomed pan and add the vanilla pod. Bring to a high heat but do not let it boil. Turn off the heat for a few minutes.
3 Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and creamy. Then gently pour in the hot cream/ milk mixture, stirring all the time. Give the mix a good whisk.
4 Pour into a clean pot and place on a low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon for 5 to 7 minutes until it coats the back of the spoon and resembles a light custard. It shouldn’t taste overly sweet.
Pass through a fine sieve. Allow to cool, then churn in an ice- cream machine.