British asparagus is in season and I plan to cook as much as possible while it lasts... So far I have bought a bunch every time I have visited a shop... The season generally runs from the end of April to the end of June, so I have a bit of time left... It is difficult to grow, I gather, and you can't pick it for three years from planting, it is perhaps a bit beyond my gardening talents at this stage.
Asparagus has a natural nutty type flavour and goes very well with salty dairy ingredients like hard cheese, butter and hollandaise; as well as eggs, lemon, truffle, new potatoes and oily fish. I tackled my first hollandaise this weekend, a grapefruit one and it was delicious, you use the juice of a grapefruit instead of white wine vinegar, it was perfect with poached salmon and asparagus.
But for my first taste of new season asparagus I opted for a simple lunch of Jersey Royal new potatoes, asparagus and a soft boiled egg. The potatoes were tossed in butter, salt and pepper, the asparagus cooked in an inch of salted water for 4 to 5 minutes and an egg boiled for 3 to 4 minutes. Served together with a little pile of watercress it was delicious. I wish my egg had been a bit runnier to dip the asparagus in, I left it a little long...
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Happy cooking! Let me know if you make any of my recipes, send a picture, and let me know any of your own recipes and tips! Anna x