April is Asparagus time!
These fresh green spears are poking up through the soil in the Palace Garden, the first signs of the vegetable harvests to come. Palace grown asparagus is now being harvested and is for sale on the barrow at the moment. Traditionally the English asparagus season spans from St George’s Day (23 April) to the longest day (21 June).
First of the vegetable crops in the Palace garden.
Early season asparagus is a great treat but it is a delicate thing and it is easy to overcook it and end up with a sad, soggy spear. Keep cooking time short, three minutes or so if boiling or steaming should do it.
As with many things we tend to always cook it the same way so here are some suggestions for a variety of ways of cooking this welcome spring delicacy. Fresh asparagus is so delicious that serving it in a simple way emphasises its flavour.
If you haven’t tried cooking asparagus on a griddle then it couldn't be easier – just heat the griddle, drizzle a little olive oil and turn the spears, the key is to char them a little as this adds a great flavour. As always with asparagus, lemon is good so squeeze over a little and serve with a nice heap of freshly grated parmesan sprinkled over.
Asparagus is best served simply.
Roasting asparagus gives it a similar, rich flavour as griddling. Heat an oven to 220 C/gas mark 7. Lay the spears on a foil-lined baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, tuck in a couple of cloves of garlic and some lemon zest. Roast for 20 minutes for a delicious side dish or use the tasty asparagus in a pasta dish or risotto.
The pleasure of an ingredient like asparagus is you can make something simple and delicious with minimum effort, below is a recipe that is slightly more involved but still quick and easy. It is taken from The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson
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 more perfect 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 the asparagus 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 until smooth. Return the frying pan to a moderate heat, add a little slice of butter and heat until it is just beginning to froth. Pour in the egg mixture, turn down the heat to low and begin bringing in the frothing edges to the liquid centre of the pan using a spatula.
3 Tip the cooked asparagus into the pan and disperse evenly. Continue to gently lift the more cooked parts of the frittata, allowing the liquid egg to slip underneath them until a happy, soft and curd-like medium has evolved. This should take around 2 minutes.
4 Slide the frittata on to a plate and allow to cool a little before serving.
