I’ve written many columns for the Guardian (427, to be precise), and the only time I ever really draw a blank is when asparagus season comes around. So much has been said about our beloved British asparagus that I feel I have very little to add. So I’m putting down my pen, squeezing in a fourth recipe and deciding to let asparagus speak for itself.
Asparagus with mushrooms and poached egg
Be careful when cutting and cooking the mushrooms: you want perfect round discs for this. Fry any misshapen or broken pieces separately and serve on the side. Serves four.
24 asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed and discarded
120g unsalted butter
6 large portobello mushrooms, sliced horizontally into 2mm-thick rounds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
5g thyme sprigs
Salt and black pepper
10g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
4 eggs, poached just before serving
½ tsp truffle oil
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and blanch the asparagus for three to four minutes, until al dente. Strain, refresh under cold water and set aside.
Melt half the butter in a large saute pan on a medium heat. Add half the mushrooms, garlic and thyme, plus a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper, and fry for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden-brown at the edges and cooked. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, and repeat with the remaining butter, mushrooms, garlic and thyme, seasoning again. Once all the mushrooms are cooked, keep them warm.
Leave any excess butter in the pan and, on a medium heat, gently saute the asparagus and tarragon with a pinch of salt for a minute, tossing a few times, just to warm through. Divide between four plates, then lay the mushroom discs over the spears. Scatter over the garlic and thyme and top with a poached egg. Drizzle over any butter from the pan, add a grind of pepper and a few drops of truffle oil, and serve at once.
Asparagus soufflés
I’d serve these with a simple green leaf salad, but if you want something with a bit more punch, spread toast with black olive tapenade, cut into soldiers and use these instead of a fork. The soufflés reheat pretty well, and are also rather nice at room temperature. Serves 10 as a starter (if using larger ramekins to serve as a main course, they’ll take a few minutes longer to bake).
60g almonds, skin on
80g unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra to grease
500g asparagus, woody ends snapped off, stems shaved with a vegetable peeler (about 350g net weight)
1 small onion, peeled – half finely chopped, the other half left whole
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
15g basil leaves, shredded
3 whole cloves
280ml whole milk
1 bay leaf
50g plain flour
30g parmesan, finely grated
75g chèvre log, broken into 1cm pieces
5 medium eggs, separated
Salt
Heat the oven to 140C/285F/gas mark 1. Roast the almonds for 10 minutes, then remove and turn up the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.
Pour enough boiling water into a large roasting tray to come 2cm up the sides and put in the hot oven.
Brush six 9cm- or 10cm-wide ramekins with butter and set aside. Blitz the almonds in a food processor until fine, then divide between the ramekins. Rotate the ramekins so the almond powder coats the base and sides, then refrigerate.
Fill a medium pan with water and put on a high heat. Once boiling, add the asparagus and blanch for three to four minutes, until tender. Drain, refresh and set aside to cool.
Heat 20g butter in a small frying pan on a medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and the garlic, fry gently for seven to eight minutes, until soft but not coloured. Set aside to cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor. Add the asparagus and basil, and blitz to a rough paste.
Stud the half-onion with cloves and put in a small saucepan with the milk and bay. Bring to a boil, then set aside for 20 minutes to infuse.
Put a medium saucepan on a medium heat with the remaining 60g butter. Once melted, add the flour and stir for two minutes. Remove the onion and bay leaf, then pour the warm milk into the roux, stirring as you do. Cook for three to five minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and starts to leave the sides of the pan. Take off the heat and stir in first both cheeses and then the egg yolks, asparagus puree and half a teaspoon of salt. Transfer to a large bowl.
Put the egg whites in a separate bowl, whisk to soft peaks, then fold into the cheese mix a third at a time. Divide between the ramekins, filling them almost to the top. Put the ramekins in the tray of hot water and bake for 15 minutes, until well risen and golden-brown. Serve warm from the oven.
Beef salad with quail’s eggs and black garlic dressing
Serves four.
12 quail eggs
1 tbsp sunflower oil
500g beef fillet
Salt
20 radishes, cut into thin rounds
200g mange tout, cut thinly on an angle
200g asparagus, woody ends snapped off, stems shaved with a peeler
2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced thinly lengthways
1 white endive, cut widthways into 0.5cm-thick slices
10g basil leaves, roughly torn
5g tarragon leaves, picked
10g parsley leaves, picked
1½ tbsp olive oil
For the dressing
15g black garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 banana shallot, peeled and finely diced
60ml olive oil
Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the eggs and boil for two and a half minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and put under cold running water to halt the cooking. Peel the eggs – don’t worry if they pull apart in places, because they will be torn open later to serve – and set aside.
For the dressing, put the garlic in a medium bowl and use the back of a spoon to crush to a paste. Stir in the vinegar, shallot, oil and a third of a teaspoon of salt, and set aside.
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Put a medium-sized ovenproof frying pan on a high heat. Rub oil all over the beef, season with half a teaspoon of salt and lay in the hot pan. Sear for a minute on each side, until golden-brown, then transfer the pan to the oven and roast the beef for 12-14 minutes, turning it halfway through, until medium-rare (ie, about 55C in the centre, should you have a probe); bear in mind that if your fillet is on the thin side, it will need less time. Remove and set aside to rest.
In a large bowl, mix all the remaining salad ingredients and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, then divide between four plates. Slice the beef thinly and lay on top of the salad, slightly off-centre for appearance’s sake. Put three eggs alongside each portion of beef, pulling them apart a little as you do. Spoon over the dressing and serve.
Asparagus with aubergine mayonnaise
Serves four.
2 medium aubergines
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper
150ml sunflower oil
5g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
3 300g bunches thick asparagus, woody ends trimmed and discarded
2 tbsp olive oil
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Put the aubergines on a small baking tray and roast for an hour and 20 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the skin is charred all over. When cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skin; put the flesh in a colander for an hour, so excess liquid drains away.
Put the mustard, egg yolk, vinegar and garlic in the small bowl of a food processor with half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Blitz for 30 seconds, just to combine, then, with the machine running, slowly add the sunflower oil until you have a thick mayonnaise. Pulse the aubergine into the mix bit by bit, then transfer to a bowl. Stir through the tarragon and refrigerate.
Fill a large saucepan with water and put on a high heat. Bring to a boil, add the asparagus and blanch for two minutes (or one, if the stems are very thin). Drain, refresh under cold running water, then pat dry. Put in a bowl with the olive oil, half a teaspoon of salt and lots of black pepper, and mix well.
Heat a griddle pan on a high flame and add the asparagus in batches (you don’t want to overcrowd the pan). Grill for a minute, turning halfway so the spears get char marks all over but stay bright green. Serve warm with the mayo alongside.
Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.
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