ASPARAGUS
Chilled Asparagus Soup
Whilst one of the joys of Asparagus is that it is glorious simply grilled or steamed, these are best when the tough woody ends are removed. This soup recipe uses the whole spear including the woody part which is great. For dishes where I remove the ends, I keep these and add to a ‘stock bowl’ which onion ends, tough outer leaves of leeks, squash peel etc, get added to over the week. When the bowl is big enough I make a veggie stock with all of these trimmings.
On a sunny day this is the perfect lunch to enjoy al fresco. Being cold it also makes a great starter for when you have guests coming over as it’s ready in advance.
Serves 4
Ingredients
500g asparagus – thickly sliced – reserve a couple of tips for garnishing
50g potato – diced - this gives creaminess, without adding cream
1 handful spinach – for a nice vibrant green colour
Quarter of a cucumber – roughly chopped
Half a small white onion – diced
Olive oil
1 lemon – juiced
Crème fraîche – to serve
500ml water + 1 chicken stock cube
Flowers such as chive, daisies or wild garlic - optional, for garnishing
Method
Bring the stock to the boil and then add the potatoes. Simmer for around 15 minutes until tender.
Gently fry the onion in a splash of olive oil until soft, leave to one side.
Once tender remove the potatoes and turn up the heat so the water boils. Blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes then scoop out and plunge into ice cold water to stop it cooking.
Add a handful of spinach to the warm cooking liquid and leave to cool.
Once cool, add the asparagus and potatoes back to the stock along with the lemon juice, onion and cucumber. Season and blitz until smooth.
Taste and adjust the seasoning or add more lemon juice if needed and refrigerate until cool. Add more stock for a thinner soup.
Serve chilled with a dollop of crème fraîche on the top and garnish with wild flowers and blanched asparagus tips.
Tip – the vibrant green colour may fade as you chill the soup so before serving you may want to add another of handful of spinach and blitz again.
Asparagus Carbonara
I love asparagus in pasta and what better than a spring time carbonara dish with asparagus and peas. The addition of the green veg and lemon zest makes it a lighter version of a standard carbonara. You could add any green veg such a spinach, broad beans or nettles.
Serves 2
Ingredients
200g fresh pasta – I like this recipe and use 2 eggs and 200g of 00 (extra fine) flour for 2 people
150g asparagus – trimmed so the woody part of the stalk is removed (keep for stock), then sliced
50g hard cheese such as pecorino or parmesan, or a British alternative such as Sussex Charmer or Berkswell – grated
3 slices of cured ham or bacon – finely diced - I love the British charcuterie from Cobble Lane Cured and Trealy
1 lemon – zested and juiced
50g peas
2 egg yolks - the whites freeze well so you can use them later
Half an onion – finely diced
Salt
Black pepper
Method
Bring a pan of generously salted water to the boil.
Gently fry the onion until soft then remove to cool.
Blanch the asparagus and peas for 2 minutes then remove and set aside to cool.
In a large frying pan, off the heat, mix the diced meat with the grated cheese, onion, green veg, egg yolks, and lemon zest and juice.
Add the pasta to the same boiling water and cook for 2 minutes before transferring to the frying pan and coating with the other ingredients.
Add a ladle of the pasta water to make a silky sauce. Toss until all the pasta is coated. Add another ladle if the sauce is too stiff.
Season to taste and eat immediately.
