Hey there!

Every year at this time I always get caught out wearing my big woolly winter jumpers as the temperature heats up. While some may think it’s wise here in the hills in the Scottish borders, it’s absolutely roasting just doing the school run! Time to retire them for the year I think…

A couple of updates from the garden. I’m sorry to say the daffodils didn’t make it but the tulips did and look amazing! Chives, thyme, onions, pak choi and garlic are going great guns now the temperature has risen a little. I still haven’t planted a seed this year and I’m hoping the local plant shows can help me with that! I’ll be popping up pictures of the garden getting going on The Cook’s Larder Instagram over the coming weeks.

Talking about getting going my Asparagus has shot up and while tempted to pick it I am going to give it another year before harvesting, much to the displeasure of my wife and kids! Still, there’s no reason why I can’t share a couple of my asparagus recipes with you as the locally grown stuff has hit the shops.

Asparagus

Asparagus season is here! This highly prized and delicious vegetable is a springtime staple. I put asparagus crowns in the winter after we first moved and it’s been a long old wait as you need to give the plants a couple of years to strengthen so they are able to produce plenty of thick spears when you come to harvest.

While there are many different varieties of asparagus there are three main types

Green Asparagus: Most commonly seen in shops, green asparagus is as nature intended with its lovely savoury flavour, yum!

White Asparagus: Very popular in pro kitchens, white asparagus is created when shoots are earthed up so they are not exposed to light and remain white. This process makes the Asparagus less bitter and much more tender.

Purple Asparagus: Originally created by growers in Italy, purple Asparagus has a high sugar content and low fibre levels giving a sweeter, less savoury flavour. Purple asparagus will turn green during cooking, in a similar way to purple sprouting broccoli, due to its sensitivity to heat.

Asparagus is thought to have originated in coastal areas of Europe, North Africa and Asia and it thrives in soils that are too saline for most other plants to grow. Thus, a little salt was traditionally used to suppress weeds in beds intended for asparagus, this had the disadvantage that the soil cannot be used for anything else. "Crowns" are planted in winter, and the first shoots appear in spring; the first pickings or "thinnings" are known as sprue asparagus. Sprue has thin stems.

Asparagus is a nutrient-dense vegetable that is low in calories and high in a variety of essential vitamins and minerals. A serving of cooked asparagus can contain only 40 calories, and it is an excellent source of fibre, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium. It also contains antioxidants, such as glutathione, which can help protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals.

Asparagus is usually planted as one-year-old, dormant plants called crowns. Dig a trench 30cm (1ft) wide and 20cm (8in) deep. Fork garden compost or well-rotted manure into the base of the trench, then cover with a 5cm (2in) layer of the excavated soil. Make a ridge of soil along the centre of the trench, 10cm (4in) high. Place the crowns on top of this ridge, with the growing points or new shoots uppermost, spacing them 30–45cm (12–18in) apart. Spread the roots out evenly, but handle them carefully as they break easily. Gently return the soil back into the trench, leaving the bud tips just visible.

Water new asparagus plants regularly throughout their first summer. Once established, asparagus plants are drought tolerant, so only need watering in long dry spells.

After three years, harvest spears as they sprout for six weeks, then in subsequent years harvest for eight weeks.

To harvest, cut individual spears with a sharp knife 2.5cm (1in) below the soil surface when they’re no more than 18cm (7in) tall or about finger thickness. In warm weather, harvest every two to three days for the best quality spears – they grow quickly and soon turn woody. Regular harvesting also encourages more new shoots to be produced. To store, wrap the asparagus bunch in a damp towel and place it in the fridge. the asparagus should stay fresh for a day or two before beginning to soften and lose flavour.

Asparagus with Maltaise sauce

I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to my asparagus, I tend to not do too much with it. Just a quick blanche in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes then served as part of a dish or on their own with a sauce. One sauce that lends itself perfectly to the savoury flavour of asparagus is a Maltaise sauce (blood orange hollandaise). Blood oranges are only in season for a few months at the start of the year, as the cooler temperatures during the night allows the fruit to develop its characteristic red colour, this makes them the perfect seasonal pairing for our Asparagus!

Makes: 4 servings

Cook time: 12 minutes

Equipment:

• Chefs knife

• Chopping board

• Saucepan

• Mixing bowl

• Whisk

Ingredients:

• 500g Asparagus, woody part of the stem removed

• 250g unsalted butter

• 2 large egg yolks

• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 2 blood oranges, juiced

• Salt, to taste

Instructions:

Place a saucepan on a medium heat then add the blood orange juice and reduce to about 2 tablespoons and set aside.

In a separate saucepan (or in the microwave) melt your butter and set aside.

Place the egg yolks and white wine vinegar in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water.

Whisk the egg yolks continuously for about 4 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and forms ribbons when you lift the whisk out of the bowl. Be careful not to let the bowl get too hot as the eggs will overcook and scramble.

Take off the heat and slowly pour in the melted butter while still stirring continuously. The white milk solids will have split from the clarified butter and will sit at the bottom of the pan. Keep pouring and whisking until you are just left with the solids at the bottom (don’t pour these in). Stir in the blood orange juice and then taste and season with salt.

As mentioned above, blanche your asparagus in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes, drain and serve immediately with the Maltaise sauce.

Download recipe here

Asparagus, ricotta and lemon rigatoni

This fantastic recipe is a quick and easy way to impress, whether it’s a mid-week tea or when you have friends and family over at the weekend! While I use rigatoni in this recipe (as we always have it in the house) spaghetti or fettuccini would be great alternatives.

Makes: 4 servings

Time: 10 minutes

Equipment:

• Chefs knife

• Chopping board

• Saucepan

• Colander

• Sauté pan

Ingredients:

• 400g rigatoni

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 shallot, finely diced

• 2 clove garlic, minced

• 280g asparagus, trimmed and roughly chopped

• 40g unsalted butter

• 50g water

• 1 lemon, juiced

• Drizzle of olive oil

• Sea salt, to taste

• Cracked black pepper, to taste

• 150g ricotta

Instructions:

In a saucepan of salted boiling water cook the rigatoni until al dente, about 10-12 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking heat, the oil in the sauté pan on a medium-low heat. Add the shallot and the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes being careful not to colour. Add the Asparagus and the butter with a small pinch of salt and gently cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the water and bring up to a boil, boil until the butter has emulsified into the water and formed a sauce-like consistency. Taste and then season with sea salt.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain then add to the sauce with cracked black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and the lemon juice. Stir to combine, making sure the pasta is nicely coated. Top with spoonfuls of the ricotta and serve immediately. Buon appetito!

Download recipe here

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Happy cooking!

Stu