Ribboned asparagus salad with avocado dressing
This salad is a true celebration of spring. Freshasparagus in season tastes even better raw than cooked. It's full of flavour, colour and juice. Shave the stalks as thin as you can and mix a few simple salad ingredients and a creamy dressing.
Serves 4
800g asparagus
1 cucumber
16 cherry tomatoes
100g flat-leaf parsley
20g parmesan, freshly grated
For the dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ ripe avocado, stone removed
Salt and black pepper
1 Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Using a vegetable peeler and starting from the bottom end of the asparagus, shave upwards to create thin ribbons. Place all the ribbons in a large serving bowl.
2 Slice the cucumber lengthways and cut intobite-size pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half and coarsely chop the parsley. Add these to the bowl.
3 Place the dressing ingredients in a blender and blitz until creamy. Add a dash of oil or water if necessary. Dress and toss the salad so it's evenly coated.
4 Top with parmesan shavings, then serve.
Recipe supplied by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl of greenkitchenstories.com and Green Kitchen, which was published in April 2013 is on offer at guardianbookshop.co.uk, priced £18.
Spring onion-tied prawn and asparagus
Ganghwe is a general Korean term that refers to a dish of small rolls that have been made by tying ingredients with a thin spring onion. They are prepared in bite‑size pieces and served with a dipping sauce. Nakji (octopus) and ojingeo (squid) ganghwe are common variations. These saewu ganghwe use prawn and asparagus.
Serves 3-4
16 medium prawns, peeled, tail on, and de-veined
8 thin asparagus spears
16 thin spring onions
For the sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar)
1 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chilli pepper paste)
½ tbsp sugar
¼ tsp minced garlic (optional)
1 Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, mix well and set aside.
2 Bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Add the prawns and cook for about a minute. Quickly drain and leave in cold water to stop them cooking. Drain and cut small slits on the inner curve of the curled-up prawns to make it easier to wrap.
3 Remove the tough ends from the asparagus and cut into 5cm lengths. Blanch the pieces in salted boiling water until they have softened, which takes about a minute. Remove with a strainer, shock in cold water and drain.
4 Use tongs to dip the white parts of the springonions in the same pot of boiling water and hold for about 30 seconds before completely submerging the whole bunch for another 20seconds. Drain and shock incoldwater. Pat the spring onions dry with kitchen paper, gently pressing to remove excesswater.
5 To assemble, hold a prawn and an asparagus piece together along with the white end of a spring onion. Tie them by wrapping the otherend of the spring onion around the prawn and asparagus severaltimes.
6 Use a toothpick to tuck the end of the spring onion into the roll. Mix the sauce ingredients thoroughly and serve alongside the ganghwe.
Recipe supplied by Hyosun Ro, koreanbapsang.com
Asparagus, horseradish and parmesan tart
The combination of mild, fresh asparagus, salty, creamy parmesan and the bright kick of horseradish is what makes thisdish. It goes well with a tomato, basil and rocket salad.
Serves 4
375g ready-rolled puff pastry
Beaten egg, for brushing
500g asparagus, trimmed
200g creme fraiche
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
2 tbsp strong horseradish
100ml double cream
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp parmesan, freshly grated
1 Preheat the oven to 210C/425F/gas mark 7. Unroll the pastry and place on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, score a line around the pastry, about 1cm inside the edge. Lightly prick inside the rectangle with a fork and brush the edges with a little beaten egg.
2 Lay the asparagus in a neat line, facing the same way, inside the border of thepastry.
3 Mix the creme fraiche, egg yolks, chives, horseradish and cream, then season. Spread over the asparagus. Top with parmesan.
4 Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. Reduce to 190C/375F/ gas mark 5 ifthe pastry is beginning toburn.
Recipe supplied by Rachel Green, british‑asparagus.co.uk
Gorgonzola, asparagus and hazelnut risotto
This risotto is one that tastes best without the additional flavour of stock. These three ingredients are a wonderful trinity and need only the plainest of backdrops to sing.
Serves 2
½ medium onion, chopped
75g butter
160g carnaroli rice
120ml white wine
400ml water
350g fine asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-2cmstrips
150g gorgonzola
60g hazelnuts, toasted and coarselychopped
Salt
1 Fry the onion in 50g butter with a pinch ofsalt over a moderate heat for 10 minutes until tender.
2 Add the rice, fry for 2 minutes more, then pour in the wine and simmer until absorbed.
3 Add the water a little at a time, waiting for it to be mostly absorbed between additions. Taste for seasoning all the time. About 5 minutes before the end (about 10 minutes after you started adding water), add theasparagus.
4 When the rice is still a touch too al dente for you, crumble in three-quarters of the gorgonzola (you can use or lose the rind as youlike) and the remaining 25g butter. Stir until you are satisfied. Serve with the hazelnuts and the remaining gorgonzola scattered on top.
Bocca by Jacob Kenedy (Bloomsbury)
Asparagus shiraae
A shiraae is a versatile Japanese dish that can be made with most vegetables and always has a tofu-based dressing. You can adjust the amounts of sesame paste and miso to create the best blend for any particular vegetable, making a creamy dressing by adding ripe avocado or changing the texture by adding it diced. This particular recipe works well with young asparagus.
Serves 4
300g soft/silken tofu
200g asparagus
4 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted and ground
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp light soy sauce
½ tsp miso
Salt
1 Drain the tofu from the packet, wrap it in plenty of kitchen paper, put it on a plate and place a weight on top of it to squeeze the water out. Leave the tofu for 30 minutes, until itweighsaround 180g.
2 Remove the woody part of the asparagus, then cut each spear diagonally into thirds.
3 Bring some water to the boil in a saucepan, then add a little salt and lightly cook the asparagus for a few minutes. It should stillbefirm when drained. Cool the spears under cold running water andpat them dry.
4 Put the tofu in a bowl and add the ground sesame seeds, sugar, light soy sauce and miso and mix thoroughly.
5 Add the asparagus to the bowl and mix into the dressing, seasoning with extra saltifrequired. Serve either in one serving dish or in individual bowls.
Everyday Harumi: Simple Japanese Food for Family and Friends by Harumi Kurihara (Conran Octopus)
Asparagus and buckwheat salad
This sprightly salad combines raw and roasted asparagus with the smoky notes of buckwheat for a satisfying one-bowl lunch. You'll find buckwheat in natural foods stores. Use raw groats – toasted ones (sometimes called kasha) are too assertive for this recipe.
Serves 4
250g raw buckwheat groats
2 spring onions (white and green parts), thinlysliced
Extra virgin olive oil
Nutmeg, freshly grated
Black pepper
500g thin asparagus spears, trimmed
Sea salt
Olive oil, for cooking
Zest of 1 lemon
1 Cook the buckwheat in salted water as per the package instructions until al dente. Drain.
2 While the buckwheat is still hot, fold in the spring onions, and add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.Season with nutmeg and black pepper andset aside.
3 Using a mandolin or a vegetable peeler, cut four of the asparagus stalks lengthways into long ribbons, as thin as you can. Add them to a bowl along with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat, and set aside.
4 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 and prepare the rest of the asparagus for roasting. If the stalks are thick, slice them in half lengthways. Cut them into 3cm segments. Place in a baking dish, drizzle with a little cooking olive oil, sprinkle with ½ tsp salt, andshake to coat.
5 Bake for 30 minutes, until the asparagus is cooked through and lightly browned.
6 Divide the buckwheat among four salad bowls and top with the warm, roasted asparagus. Arrange the raw asparagus ribbons attractively on top, scatter with lemon zest and serve.
Recipe supplied by Clotilde Dusoulier, chocolateandzucchini.com
Chilled asparagus and almond soup
The combined goodness of antioxidant-rich asparagus and protein-packed almonds makes this a superfood soup. Enjoy hot or chilled, just don't skimp on the lemon zest – it really lifts the creaminess and richness.
Serves 4
100g flaked almonds
1 small onion, roughly diced
1 large leek, roughly diced
1 tsp ghee
1 large garlic clove, roughly diced
2½ tsp fresh tarragon, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
600g asparagus, trimmed
1¼ litres vegetable stock
2½ tsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and black pepper
For the topping
½ tsp lemon zest
½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Toast 25g of the almonds in a dry, large saucepan and set aside for garnishing later.
2 In the same pan gently fry the onion and leek in ghee for 5minutes until softened, but not browned. Add the garlic and tarragon to the pan and fry for another minute.
3 Prepare the asparagus by snapping off the woody ends. Add the spears and remaining 75g almonds to the pan. Stir, add a pinch of salt and black pepper, then add the stock.
4 Simmer gently for 5 minutes, with the lid on, until the asparagus is tender.
5 Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Blend carefully, in batches if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6 Serve in warmed bowls and scatter the toasted, flaked almonds on top with lemon zest and a swirl of extra virgin olive oil. Alternatively, chill and remove from the fridge just before serving, then garnish as above.
Recipe supplied by Melissa Hemsley and Jasmine Hemsley, hemsleyandhemsley.com
Asparagus frittata with soft cheese and chives
This is a fine dish for using asparagus spears known as "sprue", which are much thinner and consequently less expensive than moreperfect specimens. Don't bother peeling them – just remove the tougher base stalks and throw the rest in the pan.
Serves 2
200g asparagus, trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and cayenne pepper
Nutmeg, freshly grated
3 large eggs, beaten
125g soft cream cheese
30g parmesan, finely grated
2 tsp chives, chopped
Butter, for frying
1 Thinly slice the asparagus spears on the diagonal. Warm the olive oil in a nonstick frying pan, add the asparagus and season with salt, cayenne pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Cook gently over a low heat until theasparagus is tender and lightly coloured. Tip out on to a plate, set aside and wipe out the frying pan.
2 In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs,cream cheese, parmesan and chives untilsmooth. Return the frying pan to a moderate heat, add a little slice of butter andheat until it is just beginning to froth. Pour in the egg mixture, turn down the heat tolow and begin bringing in the frothing edges to the liquid centre of the pan usingaspatula.
3 Tip the cooked asparagus into the pan anddisperse evenly. Continue to gently lift the more cooked parts of the frittata, allowingthe liquid egg to slip underneath them until a happy, soft and curd-like mediumhas evolved. This should take around2 minutes.
4 Slide the frittata on to a plate and allow to cool a little before serving.
The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson (Quadrille)
Grilled asparagus and creamy quinoa
One of the simplest and tastiest ways to prepare asparagus is to grill or roast it with a little olive oil. Here, grilled asparagus is paired with a delicious creamy quinoa with hints of lemon and cumin. Prepare the quinoa in advance and just grill the asparagus for a little over 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 4
190g white quinoa
800g asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling
180g roasted, marinated red bell peppers, drained and cut in to bite-size pieces
200g feta cheese
100g fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley (reserve some leaves for garnishing)
Salt
For the dressing
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Rinse the quinoa, place in a small saucepanand add 475ml water. Bring to theboil, lower the heat and gently simmer for15 minutes. Drain any excess water. Setaside to cool.
2 To prepare the dressing, whisk together theolive oil, soy sauce and lemon juice. Gently crush the cumin seeds with a pestle or the back of a knife and add to the dressing.
3 Rinse and pat the asparagus dry and place on a plate. Drizzleolive oil over the asparagus and roll them until well coated. Season with salt. Arrange the asparagus in a hot griddle pan and cook,turning as needed, until nicely marked on allsides without being burned – 6‑8minutes.
4 Meanwhile, combine the quinoa, dressing, bell peppers, feta and coriander or parsley in a large mixing bowl. Arrange the grilled asparagus on plates, top with the quinoa mixture and a few coriander leaves.
Recipe supplied by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl of greenkitchenstories.com and Green Kitchen, which was published in April 2013 is on offer at guardianbookshop.co.uk, priced £18.
Hungarian-style asparagus
Sparga siitve is a very tasty dish which can be served with vegetables and salads or with bread or a pilaf. Hungarian asparagus is long, thick and white, but the green British variety will do just as well. You can also use yoghurt instead of sour cream.
Serves 4-6
900g asparagus, trimmed
(and scraped if using white asparagus)
½ tsp sugar
300ml sour cream or yoghurt
1 tsp plain flour
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp sugar
25g fresh breadcrumbs
25g unsalted butter
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Wash and drain the asparagus thoroughly. Simmer for 5 minutes in boiling water and drain. Pat dry with kitchen paper and arrangein a large, greased ovenproof dish.
2 In a small bowl, mix together thoroughly thesour cream or yoghurt, flour, egg yolk, salt, paprika and sugar. Pour this evenly overthe asparagus. Sprinkle the breadcrumbsover the top and then dot withsmall knobs of the butter. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the top isgolden.
Classic Vegetarian Cookery by Arto der Haroutunian (Grub Street)
