Bring some refreshing seasonal flavours to your mealtimes with these delicious, easy recipes from Dairy Diary
Asparagus Carbonara
A creamy meat-free version of carbonara that celebrates the taste of fresh green asparagus. Traditionally the start of the British asparagus season is April 23, St George’s Day, finishing on Midsummer’s Day in June.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
◆ 250g asparagus, trimmed
◆ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
◆ 150g spaghetti
◆ 2 eggs, beaten
◆ 50g Italian-style hard cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve
◆ 25g butter
◆ 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
◆ 25g rocket leaves
1 Lay the asparagus on a board, slice off the tips and set aside. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus stalks into long, thick ribbons, then thinly slice the remaining part of the stalks.
2 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook for 10 minutes until just tender. Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together the beaten eggs, grated cheese and plenty of black pepper.
3 Heat the butter in a large frying pan and fry the garlic for 1 minute until softened. Add all the asparagus and stir through for 1 minute. Using tongs, lift the spaghetti straight from its cooking water into the pan of asparagus.
4 Remove the pan from the heat, add the egg and cheese mixture and toss through the pasta and asparagus, adding 2–3 tablespoons hot water to help make a sauce. Immediately transfer to warmed shallow serving bowls. Scatter over some rocket and extra grated cheese.
Tip: Use asparagus as soon as possible after buying it. Snap off the woody ends, rinse the spears and they are ready to use. Steam, boil or griddle and enjoy with hollandaise sauce or home-made herb butter.
Chicken, Noodle And Spring Vegetable Traybake
An all-in-one satisfying supper dish. And when you’ve finished, there is only one tray to wash up, so you can relax and savour every mouthful!
Ingredients (Serves 2)
◆ 4 boneless chicken thighs (approx 150g each)
◆ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
◆ 1 leek, trimmed and thickly sliced
◆ 100g spring greens
◆ 100g purple sprouting broccoli
◆ 1tbsp vegetable oil
◆ 2tbsp light soy sauce
◆ 2tbsp sweet chilli sauce, plus extra to serve
◆ 1tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
◆ 250g straight to wok/cooked egg noodles
◆ 2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
