This is an archived post, moved over from my old Blogger account- hence the lack of photos! If you’d like to see it in it’s full glory, you can still access it at www.GoodEggFoodie.blogspot.com.

Currently, we are mainly eating asparagus. Such a short season, for such an amazingly tasty vegetable and I have been making the most of it. Once it’s gone, I don’t revert to Peruvian spears from the supermarket – it really just isn’t the same. So for us it is a small window of opportunity each year.

I buy our asparagus from Kenyon Hall Farm in Croft near Warrington. They cut it daily so you are sure that it is the freshest possible.

There are still a couple of weeks left to enjoy asparagus, so I thought that I would share my favourite recipes.

Kenyon Hall Farm Asparagus Soup

I was given this simple recipe with a bundle of soup-grade asparagus in the farm shop and assured that owner Barbara Bulmer swears by it. And it is delicious!

1 large onion

1 clove garlic, finely chopped (optional)

500g asparagus, chopped, woody ends removed

500ml hot chicken stock

Cream to finish

• Soften the onion and garlic (if using) in olive oil or butter.
• Add the stock and the asparagus
• Simmer for 20 mins or until soft
• Cool slightly then blend
• Season and add cream to taste before serving

Crumbly Lancashire Cheese & Asparagus Tart

Use the walnut pastry in this recipe from Delicious Magazine – it is easy and quick. But if I am doing this on a week night after work, I will often use chilled puff pastry instead.

1 quantity of walnut pastry from Delicious Magazine recipe or 375g ready made puff pastry

Courgette chutney (or onion if you can’t find courgette)

2 medium eggs plus 3 yolks

180ml double cream

150g crumbly Lancashire cheese (Butlers seems to always work well in this and is available in supermarkets)

6-8 spears of asparagus

 

• If making the walnut pastry, use a 20cm tart tin, and follow the recipe to the blind bake point. Remove your baking beans.
• If using puff pastry, butter your tart tin well, line with the pastry and then prick the bottom all over with a fork
• Preheat your oven to 220c
• Line the bottom of your tart with a few tablespoons full of chutney. I have found courgette to go really well, and use my own, but you could use onion or even try a carrot and orange such as this one from Hawkshead Relish. Not too thick but make sure you have an even layer
• Mix the eggs, yolks and cream with pepper and pour carefully into your tart case
• Crumble the cheese into the case, and top the tart (artfully!) with the asparagus spears
• Cook in the oven for 25-35 minutes. Check after 25 as the filling puffs up quite spectacularly and can burn easily in the final stages if you’re not careful

 

This tart is delicious warm or cold- so have some for tea with salad and Cheshire new potatoes, then pack a slice in your lunch box the next day.