I have made a U-turn with asparagus. I used to advocate pairing it only with mild ingredients (and not too many of them), so as not to mask its fine flavour, but I now believe it can, in fact, endure a fair bit of goings-on while still keeping its asparagussy truth. Yes, a knob of butter or a drizzle of olive oil, with perhaps a poached egg on top, is a fine way to serve the spears, but fermented ingredients with built-in intensity – soy, black garlic, miso, gochujang chilli paste – are equally good partners. In fact, they shed a funky new light on the old asparagus.
Asparagus and gochujang pancakes (pictured top)
Gochujang (Korean fermented chilli paste) does wonders to both pancakes and asparagus, but the combination of all three gives you something truly marvellous. Try to source a good-quality Korean brand; it is much more intense than supermarket own-brand varieties.
Prep 15 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 2
135g plain flour
60g rice flour (not glutinous rice flour)
Salt
1 egg
325ml ice-cold water
1½ tbsp gochujang chilli paste
1½ tbsp coriander leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
75ml sunflower oil
400g asparagus, woody ends trimmed and discarded and spears halved lengthways (280g net weight)
120g spring onions (ie, about 6-7), trimmed, cut in half widthways and then again lengthways
For the dipping sauce
50ml light soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
2 tsp rice-wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
For the dipping sauce, whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl, then set aside.
Put both flours in a large bowl with half a teaspoon of salt, and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the egg, water, gochujang, coriander and chilli. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, then slowly pour in the wet ingredients and whisk until just smooth; don’t overmix.
Pour just over a tablespoon of oil into a medium (18cm), nonstick pan on a medium-high flame. Once hot, add a quarter of the asparagus (make sure it all points in the same direction) and a tiny pinch of salt, and cook for a minute and a half to two minutes, turning a few times, or until it begins to soften and colour. Add a quarter of the spring onions, cook for 30 seconds more, then pour over 140g of the batter (ie, about a quarter of it), and swirl the pan so it spreads out to cover the pan’s circumference. Leave to cook for two and a half minutes, then flip over and cook for the same time on the other side, or until crisp and golden.
Transfer to a plate, keep warm and repeat with the rest of the oil, asparagus, spring onions and batter, making four pancakes in all. (You may need to adjust the heat and timings as you go.)
Divide the pancakes between two plates, sprinkle over the extra chopped coriander and serve the sauce alongside or lightly drizzled on top.
Asparagus and ricotta tart with miso and black garlic
This easy tart gets its oomph from the combination of sweet black garlic and salty miso. Serve it with a big green salad as a light lunch.
Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
150g ricotta
25g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra finely grated to serve
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp white miso
Salt and black pepper
6 cloves black garlic, roughly chopped
1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
2½ tbsp olive oil
1 x 35cm x 22cm sheet all-butter puff pastry (about 320g), rolled out
250g fine asparagus, ends trimmed and discarded
¼ tsp chilli flakes
Heat the oven to 190C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan, one of the egg yolks, the miso and a good grind of pepper, and set aside.
Put the black garlic, vinegar, two tablespoons of oil and a teaspoon of water in the small bowl of a food processor and blitz smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times as you go.
Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper and lay the puff pastry sheet on top, with the longer side facing you. Create a rim on the pastry by lightly scoring it about 1cm from the edge all the way around. Gently poke the centre randomly with a fork about 12 times in all. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the centre, then top with the asparagus tips, all pointing in the same direction and away from you, with some tips slightly overlapping the others. Drizzle over the remaining teaspoon and a half of oil, and lightly sprinkle the asparagus with salt and pepper. Add a small splash of water to the remaining egg yolk, beating to combine, and use this to brush all around the rim.
Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the pastry is golden around the edges and cooked through. Transfer the tart to a large board, spoon over the black garlic dressing, sprinkle with the chilli and extra parmesan, then cut into eight pieces. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Asparagus with garlic pesto and tempura onions
There’s a bit of work involved here, but the result is pretty spectacular. If you want to save yourself some work, leave out the tempura onions; the dish will still be lovely without them. If you can’t find wild garlic, make the pesto with 35g parsley and two crushed garlic cloves instead.
Prep 20 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4 as a side
800g asparagus, woody ends trimmed and discarded then cut in half widthways at a slight angle
For the pesto
25g wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped (or use a mix of chopped parsley and crushed garlic instead; see introduction)
10g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
½ tsp aleppo chilli
60ml olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper
30g pistachios, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
For the onions
500ml sunflower oil, for frying
35g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
10g rice flour
100ml sparkling water, chilled
½ small onion, cut into ¼cm-thick rounds
First make the pesto. Put the wild garlic, parsley, chilli, oil, lemon juice, mustard, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper in the small bowl of a food processor, blitz smooth, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in the pistachios.
Steam the asparagus on a medium-high heat for four minutes, or until cooked through but with a slight bite, then run under cold water to stop them cooking further. Pat dry, then add to the pesto bowl with a third of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and toss to coat.
Heat the sunflower oil in a medium saucepan on a medium-high flame. Meanwhile, make the batter by whisking together both flours and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Pour in the sparkling water and whisk until smooth; do not over-mix. When the oil is hot, prepare the onion rings one at a time. Put a little extra plain flour in a small bowl, dip in one ring, shake off any excess, then dip into the batter, toss to coat, then carefully lower into the hot oil: it should sizzle and immediately rise to the top. You will need to fry the onions in about three to four batches, frying five or six rings at a time. Fry for 90 seconds, or until very lightly coloured and crisp, then transfer to a tray lined with kitchen towel and repeat with the rest of the onions, flour and batter.
To serve, spread the asparagus mixture on a large serving plate and top with the onions. Serve at once, while the onions are still crisp.
