Roberta’s Recipes: Asparagus season

Hooray, it’s the asparagus season again! I must confess I didn’t use to be much into asparagus (I wouldn’t even have known when the season is, because whenever I did any I did it from a tin), but here in Britain it’s a big thing, and since my darling husband is a big asparagus fan I’ve become one, too. And there are so many things you can do with it!

These are all rather easy recipes, so there’s not too much experience required; they won’t take too long, either. You’ll find some vegetarian recipes here, of course; since asparagus is so tasty by itself, it doesn’t really need any meat! Ingredients here are for two – since asparagus is such a perfect food for lovers…

 

Asparagus al forno with cheese

150g asparagus, 2 slices bread, 150g grated cheese (or 4 cheese slices), butter

A bit of a different brunch (or snack), and a very healthy one at that! Cook the asparagus in salted water for 5-10 minutes according to size. Put the bread slices in a baking tin laid out with baking foil, then spread butter on them. Preheat the oven to 220°.

Take the asparagus out, dry it with kitchen paper, and put it on the bread slices. Top with the cheese and some more butter flakes and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

 

Asparagus omelette

150g asparagus, 4 eggs, 6tbsp (heaped) flour, 1tbsp flour for the sauce, 150ml milk, 100ml cream, 30g butter, oil, salt, pepper, nutmeg

Asparagus is a great topping for an omelette; all it needs is a bit of cream sauce to make the whole thing juicier. First, boil the asparagus for 5-10 minutes according to size in salted water.

Separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites in a small bowl with a hand mixer or a whisk. In a big bowl, mix the egg yolks with the flour and the milk, then slowly and carefully add the egg whites, stirring with a spoon.

Put half of the mixture in a pan and fry it until it’s golden brown; carefully turn it around with two spatulas. Take the omelette out, then put the other half of the mixture in the pan with some more oil and make a second omelette. Take the asparagus out of the water and put it on a plate laid out with kitchen paper.

In a small pot, make the cream sauce: heat up the butter, then add a tbsp of flour while stirring, then the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg; keep stirring and let simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Top the omelettes with the asparagus and the sauce, and you’ve got a perfect brunch!

 

Asparagus with bacon

300g asparagus, 300g cubed or sliced bacon, oil or butter

Just like green beans, asparagus goes very nicely with some fat, salty bacon. And it’s so easy to do: simply cook the asparagus in salted water for 5-10 minutes, meanwhile fry the bacon in a pan with oil or butter. Take the bacon out of the water and dry it with kitchen paper, then throw it in with the bacon and fry some more!

 

Asparagus souffle

300g asparagus, 2 eggs, 1 packet bechamel powder, 150g grated cheese, 30g butter, salt, pepper

In one of my recent posts, I told you about all the possibilities of doing delicious meals ‘al forno’, and one of them is souffle. Very similarly to the spinach souffle in that post, you can also do an asparagus souffle: cook the asparagus in salted water for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the bechamel sauce according to the instructions on the packet. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a whisk.

Add the eggs to the bechamel sauce, add half of the cheese and stir well. Put half of the mixture in a medium baking tin, then put in the asparagus, top with the other half of the sauce and the rest of the cheese and butter flakes. Bake in the oven at 220°C for 20 minutes – another great vegetarian favourite!

 

Asparagus pie

300g asparagus, 6tbsp (heaped) flour, 180ml milk, 2 eggs, 50g butter, 1 dash lemon juice, salt, pepper, sugar

You can also make a pie with asparagus: put the flour and the milk in a big bowl and stir with a hand mixer or whisk. Also, whisk the eggs in a smaller bowl. Add salt, pepper, a bit of sugar, the eggs and the lemon juice to the mixture and stir until it‘s nice and smooth. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Heat up the butter in a pan and fry the asparagus for 3-4 minutes; oil a medium baking tin, put the asparagus into it and top with the mixture; bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

 

Carbonara with asparagus and broccoli

150g spaghetti, 150g asparagus, 150g broccoli, 250ml carbonara sauce, 100g grated cheese, salt

You can make a very healthy dish out of a carbonara by simply adding some asparagus and broccoli to it! Just cook your spaghetti as usual for 10-12 minutes, and heat up the ready carbonara sauce you can get at any supermarket. In another pot, cook the asparagus and the broccoli (which you’ve cut into manageable chunks) for 5-10 minutes in salted water.

Top the spaghetti with the sauce and the vegetables, then add the cheese, ready! A nice and quick lunch or dinner for those who’ve got other things to do as well…

 

Enjoy your asparagus creations, dear friends – they’ll keep you busy and healthy!