The arrival of British asparagus marks a change in the year for me. Those first bunches turn up at the greengrocer when the parks and meadows are full and fragrant, green and scented. The taste, too, is one of the greenest flavours I know, while the texture is at once tender and crisp – a rare combination.
Asparagus is efficient. The tips are the prized part, but the stem is just as flavourful. The tough bottom ends can be used to flavour a vegetable stock or as the base of a soup. I tend to cut my spears rather than blanch them whole, separating the tender tip in one long piece and then slicing the stem much more thinly to ensure they reach your plate evenly cooked. Overcooking this short-lived prize isn’t something I want to risk.
Asparagus needn’t be cooked though, especially these first young bunches, which are sweet and tender as they are. Recently, I have been peeling the spears into wispy ribbons, dressing them with a little salt, pepper and lemon and piling it all on top of mozzarella or some crumbled pecorino. You can also try stirring these sliced raw spears into a bowl of just‑cooked spaghetti, so that they keep their beautiful two-tone purple and green hues.
Some people prefer the thick, sturdy asparagus stalks, some the spindly thinner ones. I rest somewhere in the middle. There is much discussion on how to eat it, and without doubt the simplicity of some butter, herbs or hollandaise sauce can’t be beaten, but this is how I will eat my asparagus spears for the few precious weeks they’re here.
Asparagus mimosa salad (main picture)
My first real job as a chef was at a beautiful local “olde worlde” restaurant in Kensington called Daphne’s. It was supposed to be Princess Diana’s favourite. One of the things I remember most was a dressing they made: a “mimosa” of chardonnay vinegar, oil and herbs. It works perfectly with asparagus.
I have made this salad into more of a meal by adding eggs and purple sprouting broccoli. I prefer to shred the boiled eggs to achieve a texture that sits well next to that of the asparagus. A punchy dressing of mustard and dijon is balanced by some heady dill and buttery avocado. A salad with every tone of green – just like the spring meadows.
Serves 4
6 eggs
500g asparagus
200g purple sprouting broccoli
½ shallot
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 ripe avocado
Bunch of fresh dill or fennel tops, roughly chopped
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
Greek yoghurt/creme fraiche (optional)
Rye bread, to serve
Salt and black pepper
1 Boil the kettle. Put the eggs into a small pan and cover with hot water. Bring it back to the boil over a medium heat, then simmer for 7 minutes. Drain the eggs as soon as they are cooked and run them under cold water until they are cool enough to handle.
2 Meanwhile, snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them (or keep them for making stock). Chop the asparagus stems into 1cm rounds, stopping when you get near the top and keeping the tips intact. Chop the broccoli in the same way, stopping when you get close to the floret.
3 Put the asparagus tips and broccoli florets into a large saucepan and cover with boiling water. Add a pinch of salt and simmer for 3 minutes, then add the asparagus and broccoli rounds for the final minute.
4 Chop the shallot finely and put into a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar, oil, mustard and a pinch of salt and black pepper, then stir to combine.
5 Once the green vegetables have finished cooking, drain in a colander and add them to the bowl while still warm. Toss in the dressing.
6 Halve, stone and cut the avocado into thick slices, then add them to the bowl.
7 Once the eggs have cooled, peel them and grate into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, grate over the zest of the lemon, scatter the dill or fennel on top and mix gently. If you like, you could add a tablespoon of creme fraiche or Greek yoghurt here.
8 Serve the veg with spoonfuls of the lemon-and-dill shredded eggs, and a little buttered rye bread, if you like.
Asparagus with crispy seeded bread and buttermilk dressing
This was an attempt to make one of my favourite salads, the Tuscan bread and tomato salad panzanella, before I could get my hands on good tomatoes. The result bears very little resemblance to a panzanella, but is still wonderful. It is all doused in a simple buttermilk dressing and backed up by some sweet and sticky charred lemon slices. Simple, vibrant spring eating.
Serves 4
150g seeded bread, torn into rough 3cm pieces
A small bunch of thyme, leaves picked
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, sliced thinly
500g asparagus
100g podded peas, defrosted if frozen
150g podded broad beans, defrosted if frozen
100g baby spinach
A small bunch of basil, leaves picked
25g parmesan (I use a vegetarian one)
For the dressing
150ml buttermilk
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 and bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, combine all the dressing ingredients in a clean jam jar, shake really well and season to taste. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to dress the salad.
2 Put the bread chunks in an ovenproof dish and spread out into a single layer. Sprinkle with thyme, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3 Using a small serrated knife, slice the lemon as thinly as you can and arrange the pieces on a separate oven tray. Bake the bread and lemon until the bread is crisp and golden and the lemon is charred and sticky – this will take about 10 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them (you can use them for stock, if you like). Chop the asparagus stems into 1cm rounds, stopping when you get near the top and keeping the tips intact.
5 Next, blanch the asparagus in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then add the peas and broad beans for a further couple of minutes. Then drain immediately and leave in a colander to steam dry: don’t be tempted to run them under cold water – this will take away all of their flavour.
6 If you like, you can double pod the broad beans, removing their tough, sometimes bitter outer skins.
7 Tip all the blanched vegetables into a serving dish with the toasted bread, spinach and basil leaves. Pour over most of the dressing and mix well with your hands, so that everything is well dressed and the bread begins to soften.
8 Top with the charred lemon slices and use a vegetable peeler to shred the parmesan over the top of the salad in thin petals.
- Anna Jones is a chef, writer and author of A Modern Way to Eat and A Modern Way to Cook (Fourth Estate); annajones.co.uk; @we_are_food
