Grown locally at a farm down the road, Asparagus is a great addition to your Spring Summer dishes. Scroll on down for our recipe recommendations for this season’s freshest veggie…..
Some facts you may not know about this seasonal vegetable which is traditionally only available until midsummers day….
- The name asparagus comes from Greek and means “sprout” or “shoot.”
- Asparagus is a member of the Lily family.
- Asparagus is related to onions, leeks, and garlic
- It takes asparagus three years from seed to harvest
For the best results, wash the stems thoroughly in a sink full of cold water. Then trim the stalks and, if the lower part of the stem seems tough when sliced and eaten raw, lightly peel the bottom third of the stem. Drop loose spears into a pan of boiling water and cook until just tender. The cooking time varies according to the thickness of the stems, but ranges between 3-5 minutes.
Once it’s cooked, drain and pat dry on kitchen paper. If you’re serving it cold, you’ll get the best flavour if, rather than cooling under the cold tap, you spread the hot asparagus out to cool on some kitchen paper.
Fresh, tender asparagus can be served raw: use a vegetable peeler to cut thin shavings into a salad and dressing it with a lemon vinaigrette, or serve it whole with aioli for dipping (thanks BBC Food). Jamie Oliver’s Asparagus guide offers some great simple cooking tips.
For some of our favourite recipes see here…
Crispy Prosciutto, Asparagus & Brie Toasts by Half Baked Harvest
Baby Asparagus with oregano garlic crumbs by the super Donna Hay
Pretty Edible Stylist, who lives locally has also created a colourful spring salad – Roasted Radishes, Jersey Royals and Asparagus with Parmesan & Lemon dressing.
A lovey fresh Steamed Asparagus and egg Mimosa Salad from Delicious Magazine.
Happy Asparagus cooking everyone!
