Posts Tagged ‘asparagus’
« Older EntriesSalmon with Roast Asparagus
Monday, March 26th, 2012
For an easy side dish to complement a spring roast, just cook this recipe without the salmon
Ingredients
400g new potatoes , halved if large
2 tbsp olive oil
8 asparagus spears, trimmed and halved
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 salmon fillets , about 140g/5oz each
handful basil leaves
Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip the potatoes and 1 tbsp of olive oil into an ovenproof dish, then roast the potatoes for 20 mins until starting to brown. Toss the asparagus in with the potatoes, then return to the oven for 15 mins.
Throw in the cherry tomatoes and vinegar and nestle the salmon amongst the vegetables. Drizzle with the remaining oil and return to the oven for a final 10-15 mins until the salmon is cooked. Scatter over the basil leaves and serve everything scooped straight from the dish.
Tags: asparagus, basil, cherry tomatoes, potato, salmon
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Spring Minestrone
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
Ingredients
• 6 heaped tablespoons fresh pesto
• 1.5 litres good chicken, ham or vegetable stock
• 1 bulb of fennel
• 100g fine asparagus
• 2 Romanesco cauliflowers or 1 large cauliflower
• 6 baby courgettes
• 6 plum tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• 1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
100g green beans, finely sliced
• 100g yellow beans, finely sliced
• 100g peas, podded
• 100g broad beans, podded
• 100g spaghetti, broken-up
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small handful of fresh green or purple basil
• 1 small handful of fresh chives
Method
There’s a whole world of minestrones out there – most of which follow very strict, authentic recipes. Personally, I feel that a minestrone should always reflect the seasons: more cabbagy, frumpy ones in the winter and lighter, more colourful ones in the spring and summer. A minestrone can also be a whole meal if you want it to be, with pasta, stale bread or rice to bulk it out. To complement the spring vegetables, I’ve put a bit of a Genoese twist on it, with a spoon of fresh pesto added at the last minute, so the flavours explode in your mouth. Give it a bash.First, if you’re going to make pesto do it now. Bring a pot of stock to the boil. Then you need to get all the vegetables prepared and put to one side. The fennel has to be halved, sliced and finely chopped, the asparagus needs to have the woody ends removed, the stalks finely sliced and the tips left whole, the cauliflowers need to be divided into small florets, the courgettes need to be quartered lengthways and finely chopped and finally the tomatoes need to be blanched. Cut them in half, remove the pips and finely slice. Now you’re ready to rock and roll.In a casserole-type pan (quite wide but not very deep) put 5 tablespoons of olive oil and heat the pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic, spring onions and fennel and gently fry without colouring at all for about 15 minutes. Then add the rest of your prepared vegetables, the pasta and your boiling stock. Bring to the boil, simmer for about 10 minutes, season, and serve in big bowls with a dollop of fresh pesto in the middle, a sprinkling of chopped basil and chives, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.Try this: As you can see, the idea of this soup is to celebrate all the vegetables that are available at the time, so feel free to modify the soup and make it your own.And this: A good way to break up your spaghetti is to wrap it in a tea towel and then run it over the edge of your work surface.Did you know? The fact that everything is finely chopped means that the cooking time is very quick and the soup remains light and fresh.• from Jamie’s Kitchen There’s a whole world of minestrones out there – most of which follow very strict, authentic recipes. Personally, I feel that a minestrone should always reflect the seasons: more cabbagy, frumpy ones in the winter and lighter, more colourful ones in the spring and summer. A minestrone can also be a whole meal if you want it to be, with pasta, stale bread or rice to bulk it out. To complement the spring vegetables, I’ve put a bit of a Genoese twist on it, with a spoon of fresh pesto added at the last minute, so the flavours explode in your mouth. Give it a bash.
First, if you’re going to make pesto do it now. Bring a pot of stock to the boil. Then you need to get all the vegetables prepared and put to one side. The fennel has to be halved, sliced and finely chopped, the asparagus needs to have the woody ends removed, the stalks finely sliced and the tips left whole, the cauliflowers need to be divided into small florets, the courgettes need to be quartered lengthways and finely chopped and finally the tomatoes need to be blanched. Cut them in half, remove the pips and finely slice. Now you’re ready to rock and roll.
In a casserole-type pan (quite wide but not very deep) put 5 tablespoons of olive oil and heat the pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic, spring onions and fennel and gently fry without colouring at all for about 15 minutes. Then add the rest of your prepared vegetables, the pasta and your boiling stock. Bring to the boil, simmer for about 10 minutes, season, and serve in big bowls with a dollop of fresh pesto in the middle, a sprinkling of chopped basil and chives, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Try this: As you can see, the idea of this soup is to celebrate all the vegetables that are available at the time, so feel free to modify the soup and make it your own.
And this: A good way to break up your spaghetti is to wrap it in a tea towel and then run it over the edge of your work surface.
Did you know? The fact that everything is finely chopped means that the cooking time is very quick and the soup remains light and fresh.
Tags: asparagus, basil, broad beans, cauliflower, chives, courgette, fennel, garlic, green beans, peas, pesto, plum tomatoes, spaghetti, spring onions, yellow beans
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Creamy asparagus soup with a poached egg on toast
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
Ingredients
• 800g asparagus, woody ends removed
olive oil
• 2 medium white onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and copped
• 2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
• 2 litres good-quality chicken or vegetable stock, preferably organic
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 10 small very fresh free-range or organic eggs
• 8 slices of ciabatta bread
• a knob of butter
• extra virgin olive oil
Method
A fantastically simple asparagus soup, pureéd till it’s silky smooth, is always a winner. Delicious eaten hot (or cold on really hot days with the help of a little lemon juice). The poached egg on toast makes it for me, but of course you don’t have to serve the soup with them. I usually poach a couple more eggs than I need in case of breakages in the pan! I’ve made this for eight, but feel free to halve quantities or freeze soup leftovers.Chop the tips off your asparagus and put these to one side for later. Roughly chop the asparagus stalks. Get a large, deep pan on the heat and add a good lug of olive oil. Gently fry the onions, celery and leeks for around 10 minutes, until soft and sweet, without colouring. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and stock and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on. Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand-held blender or in a liquidizer. Season the soup bit by bit (this is important) with salt and pepper until just right. Put the soup back on the heat, stir in the asparagus tips, bring back to the boil and simmer for a few more minutes until the tips have softened.Just before I’m ready to serve the soup, I get a wide casserole-type pan on the heat with 8 to 10cm of boiling water. Using really fresh eggs, I very quickly crack all 10 into the water. Don’t worry about poaching so many at the same time. They don’t have to look perfect. A couple of minutes and they’ll be done, as you want them to be a bit runny. Toast your ciabatta slices. Using a slotted spoon, remove all the poached eggs to a plate and add a knob of butter to them. To serve, divide the soup between eight warmed bowls and place a piece of toast into each. Put a poached egg on top, cut into it to make it runny, season and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
• from Jamie at Home A fantastically simple asparagus soup, pureéd till it’s silky smooth, is always a winner. Delicious eaten hot (or cold on really hot days with the help of a little lemon juice). The poached egg on toast makes it for me, but of course you don’t have to serve the soup with them. I usually poach a couple more eggs than I need in case of breakages in the pan! I’ve made this for eight, but feel free to halve quantities or freeze soup leftovers.
Chop the tips off your asparagus and put these to one side for later. Roughly chop the asparagus stalks. Get a large, deep pan on the heat and add a good lug of olive oil. Gently fry the onions, celery and leeks for around 10 minutes, until soft and sweet, without colouring. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and stock and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on. Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand-held blender or in a liquidizer. Season the soup bit by bit (this is important) with salt and pepper until just right. Put the soup back on the heat, stir in the asparagus tips, bring back to the boil and simmer for a few more minutes until the tips have softened.
Just before I’m ready to serve the soup, I get a wide casserole-type pan on the heat with 8 to 10cm of boiling water. Using really fresh eggs, I very quickly crack all 10 into the water. Don’t worry about poaching so many at the same time. They don’t have to look perfect. A couple of minutes and they’ll be done, as you want them to be a bit runny. Toast your ciabatta slices. Using a slotted spoon, remove all the poached eggs to a plate and add a knob of butter to them. To serve, divide the soup between eight warmed bowls and place a piece of toast into each. Put a poached egg on top, cut into it to make it runny, season and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Tags: asparagus, celery, leeks, onions
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Seared chicken & asparagus with mango salsa
Friday, May 6th, 2011
Seared chicken & asparagus with mango salsa
Ingredients
FOR THE MANGO SALSA
* 4 medium, firm but ripe mangoes
* juices of 2 limes , zest of 1
* 2 small red onions , finely chopped
* 4 red chillies , seeded and finely chopped
* 40g combined weight fresh flatleaf parsley and coriander, chopped
* 250ml extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tsp caster sugar , optional
FOR THE ASPARAGUS
* 60 asparagus spears
* 125ml olive oil
FOR THE CHICKEN
* 5 tbsp light olive oil
* 20 skinless, boneless chicken breasts , about 140g/5oz each (preferably freerange)
Method
1. The day before: make the mango salsa, peel the mangoes and cut the flesh into tiny dice. Put into a bowl with the lime juice and zest, the red onions, chillies, parsley, coriander and olive oil. Taste, and mix in a teaspoon of sugar if you feel it needs it. Put in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Put 2 baking trays in the oven to preheat. Hold each asparagus tip about a third of the way down from the tip between your thumb and forefinger, and your other hand at the bottom. Start to bend it gently and it will snap just above the tough bit which you can throw away. Now toss the asparagus in the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Put in a single layer on the pre-heated baking trays and roast for 12-14 minutes, giving them a good shake halfway through. When they are cooked, remove from the baking trays to cool or else they will keep cooking. Keep the oven on.
4. For the chicken, heat a griddle pan over a high heat till hot. Brush the chicken with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken breasts, 4 at a time in the pan (depending how many will fit) for 2-3 minutes each side – they should be well marked with the griddle lines. Remove from the griddle and lay in a single layer on foil lined baking sheets. Roast for 12-15 minutes until cooked. Take out of the oven, cool, then cover and put in the fridge.
5. On the day: take the mango salsa from the fridge and leave at room temperature to allow the flavours to combine.
6. When you are ready to serve, arrange on two platters, allowing three spears of asparagus topped with a chicken breast per person. Spoon over the mango salsa, reserving some to put in bowls on the side, and drizzle over any oil from the salsa.
Tags: asparagus, chicken, coriander, lime, mango, parsley, red chillies, red onions
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Warm artichoke & asparagus summer salad
Friday, May 6th, 2011
This dish is all about vegetables at the peak of their season
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
* 4 artichokes , trimmed
* 2 lemons , halved
* 3 tbsp olive oil
* 1 tbsp coriander seeds
* 1 star anise
* large thyme sprig
* 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
* large bunch (about 30) asparagus spears
* 4 handfuls small salad leaves such as micro-leaves
FOR THE DRESSING
* 5 tbsp olive oil
* 1 small red onion , finely chopped
* 2 spring onions , finely sliced
* small bunch chives , finely snipped
* 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I like to use white balsamic vinegar)
Method
1. When the artichokes are trimmed, find a pan wide enough to hold them in a single layer. Squeeze in juice from a lemon half and half-fill with cold water. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, the spices, thyme, vinegar, artichokes and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 15 mins until soft. Turn off the heat and allow to cool (see tips, below).
2. Prepare the asparagus. First, cut off the woody ends, then use a swivel blade peeler to trim the ends, rotating them as you go so they end up the same thickness as the tips.
3. Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the asparagus for 2 mins, then drain and tip straight into heavily iced water. Leave until completely cool, drain again, then set aside.
4. To make the dressing, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan , then gently cook the red onion for 5 mins until soft. Turn off the heat stir in the spring onion and chives, then tip into a jug. Drizzle the rest of the oil and the vinegar into the dressing, then season to taste.
5. Get the vegetables ready. Drain the artichokes, then cut each into 6 wedges. Slice each asparagus on the angle into 3 pieces.
6. Wipe out the dressing pan and heat the remaining olive oil. Fry the asparagus with some seasoning until shiny and starting to colour, then scoop onto a plate. Place the pan back on the heat, then cook the artichoke wedges until they start to brown. Turn off the heat and you are ready to plate up.
7. Spoon a puddle of dressing into the centre of each plate. Balance the pieces of asparagus up against each other to circle the dressing. Arrange the artichokes among the asparagus so they’re evenly distributed over the plate. Scatter over the salad leaves and drizzle over the remaining dressing.
Try
TIP
Micro-leaves (also known as micro-herbs) are tiny little herb and salad leaf shoots. Their intense flavour lifts warm vegetable dishes like this and adds another element to the finished dish. Micro-leaves are now available from some supermarkets, but if you can’t find them, scatter over a few wild rocket leaves or tender sprigs of watercress.
TIP
Once cut, artichokes oxidise very quickly, which makes them discolour. So keep on rubbing the green flesh with lemon to stop this happening, especially the inner part of the artichoke once you have removed the hairy fibres. In my restaurant kitchens, we keep the uncooked, prepared artichokes in water with vitamin C powder (ascorbic acid) added – this doesn’t flavour the water – but a squeezed lemon works just as well.
TIP
To test if the artichoke is cooked, insert a skewer or the point of a small knife into the centre – there should be very little resistance. If it feels a little hard, keep simmering; check again after each minute or so.
TIP
When you prepare artichokes, the metallic flavour of the raw vegetable is transferred to your fingers. Scrub your hands well afterwards, as the flavour is rather unpleasant.
TIP
Preparing the artichokes involves a bit of work but they can be cooked and left in the cooking liquid up to two days before. The asparagus can be boiled and chilled the day before and both vegetables can be chopped, ready for frying, several hours before serving. As the dressing contains onion, it is best made just one hour before serving.
Tags: anise, arichokes, asparagus, coriander, lemons, thyme, white wine vinegar
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Open ravioli of asparagus
Friday, May 6th, 2011
Celebrate the British asparagus season with some sweet and tender spears
Ingredients
* 200g asparagus tips, blanched for 2 minutes
* garlic clove , crushed
* 1 shallot , finely chopped, fried in a little butter
* a small glass dry white wine
* 142ml carton double cream
* 6 fresh lasagne sheets, trimmed into squares and cooked until al dente
Method
1. Add the wine to the garlic and shallot mixture. Bubble until reduced by half. Add the cream and cook for 3 minutes. Tip in the asparagus and stir to warm through. Stir in the basil. Serve 3 sheets of pasta per person, layered up with the asparagus sauce.
Tags: asparagus, garlic, shallot
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Risotto of spring vegetables
Friday, May 6th, 2011
Ingredients
* 300g carnaroli rice (risotto rice)
* 150g parmesan , in a wedge
* 20g fresh chives , finely snipped
* 150g shelled broad beans (about 600g in their pods)
* 150g asparagus spears
* 200g shelled small peas (about 800g in their pods)
* fistfuls of ice cubes
* 1 tsp vegetable stock powder, such as Marigold
* 1 large shallot or 2 smaller ones, finely chopped
* 3 large spring onions , trimmed and chopped
* 1 fat garlic clove , lightly crushed
* 2 tbsp olive oil , plus extra to serve
* 50g butter
* 125ml dry white wine
* 2 tbsp mascarpone
Method
1. Tip the rice into a pan of boiling, lightly salted water. Boil gently for 6 minutes then drain in a sieve. There should still be a white core in the centre of the grains. Spread the part-cooked rice on a clean tray, cool, then chill until you are ready to finish the risotto. If covered with cling film, the rice can be kept for up to 24 hours. Shave about 25g off the parmesan wedge and set aside for later. Finely grate the rest and save for use in Step 8.
2. Blanch the broad beans for 1 minute in boiling water then drain and rinse them in a colander under cold water. Using your fingers, pop each bean from its skin. (Thawed frozen beans can be popped without blanching.)
3. Trim the asparagus and cut the spears at an angle into lozenge shapes. Bring 1 litre of water to the boil in a large pan, add 1 tsp of sea salt, then the asparagus, shelled peas and beans. Return to a gentle boil and cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, put lots of ice cubes into a large bowl half filled with cold water.
4. Drain the vegetables in a colander set over a bowl to catch and save the cooking water, then tip them straight into the bowl of iced water. When cold, drain again and set aside.
5. Pour the saved vegetable water into a pan and whisk in the stock powder. When ready to finish the risotto, bring the stock to the boil and keep it on a simmer.
6. In another large pan, gently sauté the shallot, spring onions and garlic in the 2 tablespoons of oil and half the butter for 3-5 minutes until softened. Stir in the wine and cook until reduced by half.
7. Tip in the rice. Now add a ladle of boiling stock and stir until it is absorbed. Add the remaining stock, a ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed before you add more. This takes about 8 minutes, by which time the mixture should be slightly sloppy, not dry. You may not need all the stock. The rice is cooked when it is just softened and has a nice shiny glaze. Remove the garlic clove.
8. Gently stir in the vegetables and remaining chives and return to a gentle simmer, adding a little extra stock if needed. Stir in the last of the butter, the grated parmesan and the mascarpone. Check the seasoning. Divide immediately between four warmed shallow bowls, drizzle over a little oil and scatter the parmesan shavings onto each serving.
Try
For rice with a good texture
When adding the stock, add just a ladle at a time to moisten. Don’t flood the rice or it will burst and go watery. Also, keeping the stock on the boil means it will be absorbed more quickly when added.
For tender asparagus
Cutting the asparagus into lozenge shapes not only makes a nice presentation, it also ensures that it cooks evenly. Keep the water gently boiling as rapid boiling destroys the texture of the asparagus.
Speed things up
Making a classic risotto can take up to 20 minutes. By blanching the rice beforehand and spreading it out to chill, you can halve the cooking time later on and still produce a freshly cooked risotto.
To keep the vegetables vibrant
For a risotto you want to keep a bit of bite in the vegetables. Plunging them into iced water stops overcooking and keeps their colour vibrant and their texture crisp. This technique is called ‘refreshing’, and the vegetables then just need a quick reheating before serving. It’s a useful tip for cooking ahead all green vegetables.
Use the best rice
Both the Carnaroli and the Arborio varieties are good, but Carnaroli is a bit more robust. The type of starch in these grains gives creaminess to the dish yet the core of the grain retains a good ‘al dente’ bite. Cook it in gently boiling rather than rapidly boiling water, or the rice goes a bit furry on the outside and becomes watery.
Tags: asparagus, broad beans, carnaoli rice, chives, dry white wine, garlic, mascarpone, parmesan, peas, shallot, spring onions
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Puy lentils with asparagus & poached egg
Friday, May 6th, 2011
Give lentils a lift with seasonal spring veg and egg for a filling, low-calorie supper
Ingredients
* 100g Puy lentils
* 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
* 1 bunch asparagus , trimmed
* 1 shallot , finely chopped
* 4 tbsp chopped soft herbs, such as parsley , chives and basil, use one or a mix
* 2 tbsp chopped chives
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 2 eggs
Method
1. Boil the lentils in salted water until al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain, mix with 1 tbsp vinegar and set aside. Blanch the asparagus in big pan of salted water. Drain and rinse in very cold water.
2. Pour the remaining vinegar over the shallot and let sit for a few minutes. Add the herbs, olive oil, and some seasoning and mix.
3. Heat a deep frying pan with some water and bring to a simmer. Crack the eggs, one at a time into a bowl and slide into the water. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until softly poached then remove with a slotted spoon and blot on kitchen paper.
4. Divide the lentils between 2 plates, top with the asparagus and an egg and drizzle the sauce over each.
Tags: asparagus, basil, chives, eggs, parsley, puy lentils, shallot
Posted in Meal Suggestions, Starters | No Comments »
Asparagus, sundried tomato & olive loaf
Friday, May 6th, 2011
Spring flavour in every bite of this savoury bake
Ingredients
* 100ml olive oil , plus extra for greasing
* 250g asparagus spears , each cut into 3 pieces
* 200g self-raising flour
* 1 tbsp thyme leaves
* 3 large eggs , lightly beaten
* 100ml milk
* handful pitted black olives
* 100g sundried tomatoes , roughly chopped
* 100g Gruyère or Beaufort, grated
Method
1. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Oil and line the base of a loaf tin (approx 22 x 10 x 5cm) with baking paper. Cook the asparagus in boiling, salted water for 2 mins, drain, then cool quickly under cold running water. Pat dry.
2. Mix the flour and thyme with seasoning in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, then add the eggs, milk and oil, stirring all the time to draw the flour into the centre. Beat for 1 min to make a smooth batter.
3. Reserve 5 asparagus tips and a few olives. Add the remaining asparagus, tomatoes, olives and two-thirds of the cheese to the batter. Pour into the tin, then put the reserved asparagus and olives on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 35-40 mins until the cake feels firm to the touch and is golden and crusty on top. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.
Preparing and cooking asparagus
Rinse spears. Hold one at each end, then bend – it will break where the tough woody stem meets the edible tip. the best way to cook the spears is in about 5cm of boiling water in a wide, deep sauté pan. Green asparagus will take 3-5 minutes, depending on its thickness. Test by piercing a spear with the point of a knife – when cooked it will just slide in easily. White asparagus takes much longer to cook as it has a woodier texture. It needs 12-15 minutes – test as above.
Tags: asparagus, black olives, eggs, Gruyère, sundried tomatoes, thyme
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