There isn’t a more exciting time of year for food than when British asparagus hits the shops, but it’s only around for a month or two, so grab every eating opportunity while the season lasts. Each of these recipes showcases a different method of cooking the succulent spears, using every last part to make sure nothing ends up in the bin
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING POLLYANNA COUPLAND AND EMILY GUSSIN PHOTOGRAPHS TOM SHINGLER
BELOW THE SNAP: ESSENTIAL PREP WISDOM
Most of us prepare asparagus by bending the spears until they snap – separating the woody, more fibrous stalk from the tender tip. It’s a solid technique but a little wasteful, as that snapped-off end usually ends up in the bin.
Once you’ve snapped your spear, use a sharp knife to finely slice rounds from the bit you’d usually discard, starting at the broken end. When your knife starts to meet serious resistance or ‘woodiness’, that’s when you stop. The rounds you cut off should be included in your recipe; save the woody leftovers in the freezer for stock (or use to make a crunchy topping for your dish, like the gremolata on p24). With such a fleeting season, putting asparagus in the bin should be avoided at all costs! →
Shaved asparagus salad with goat’s cheese, watercress and grapefruit
Serves 4 (or 6 as a side) Hands-on time 20 min
KNOW-HOW There’s no need to snap the woody end off the asparagus spears here because they’re shaved into thin ribbons. Even the more fibrous parts of the stalk will be nice and tender.
EASY SWAPS Replace the pumpkin seeds with any nuts or seeds you fancy (or happen to have in the cupboard).
• 2 pink or ruby grapefruit
• 2 tsp runny honey
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds (see Easy Swaps)
• 250g asparagus
• 50g watercress
• 200g soft goat’s cheese (we used abergavenny), chopped into small chunks
• 1 tsp sumac
1 Use a small serrated knife to top and tail a grapefruit. Sit on one of the cut ends and cut down the side of the fruit, following its natural curve, to remove the skin and white pith. Holding the grapefruit over a small bowl to catch any juice, cut in between the membranes to remove the individual segments, then put them in another small bowl. Repeat with the second fruit.
2 Squeeze the leftover membranes over the juice bowl to extract the rest of the juice. Whisk the honey and oil into the grapefruit juice, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3 Toast the pumpkin seeds in a small dry frying pan for a few minutes until they start to pop and crack.
4 Use a vegetable peeler to carefully shave ribbons of asp
