Eating my greens

We are slap bang in the middle of the English asparagus season and I am whooping it up. I don't know if it's possible to be in love with a particular vegetable, but I have a serious crush going on with this one. I can't get enough of it, crave it, delight in buying it , cooking it, and most of all eating it. As my friend Clairey would say, it is Seriously Divine. Ravishing even.

We are very lucky in the town where I live to have a  market on four days a week, and one of the stalls that is always there is the fruit and veg stall.  I like that the produce  is always very fresh, tasty and often local. And that they still use brown paper bags. There's something very satisfying about coming home from town with my shopping bag full of bulging paper bags of produce.

I am eating asparagus almost every day whilst its in season :: sometimes with dinner, sometimes just a  plate of it for my lunch. I like the simple approach to cooking it and eating it. I put the spears in a metal colander over a pan of boiling water and steam it for seven minutes (slightly less if the spears are thin).

As soon as it's cooked it goes onto a plate, then a liberal dash of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, freshly grated parmesan, salt and black pepper. Eat immediately with fingers. Mmmmmmmmmm...the cheese/oil/lemon kind of melt together to make a delicious paste which goes beautifully with the asparagus, you have to try it.

Sometimes I griddle the asparagus instead of steaming it :: just toss the spears in olive oil, salt and pepper, then put them onto a hot griddle until lightly charred. To be honest I think it tastes better cooked this way, but I hate having to wash the griddle pan afterwards, so steaming it nearly always is. I am such a lazy mare. Oh Asparagus, I do love you so.

Comments

[Chris]

Sounds delicious! Going to have to try it your way!

[clairey]

Oh hun, after the dire food in Belgium land this post has left me drooling! I got a blogging mention - grinning like a loon!

[Funkymonkey]

I'm only about 45 mins drive away from the Vale of Evesham. So I'm glad you're buying English asparagus!

[Gill]

I love Asparagus so too, I also discovered it very late in life at the ripe old age of 44...I remember trying it as a child and thinking it was disgusting and never wanting to eat it again. That was until I was offered some with home-made, buttery, Hollandiase sauce and I was hooked.
I'm really enjoying your blog, your pictures are gorgeous and you always find something interesting to tell. Thank you!

[Alice]

We love asparagus here too! Kids love it! Well, they eat the tips coz sometimes, stalks can be quite fibrous. Another way we do it is cut asparagus into 2-3 inch bits, fry some garlic, toss in 'stems' first, then toss tips in (as quicker to cook). Put a bit of oyster sauce and perhaps a pinch of sugar... then add a tin of white crab meat. Mix it so that crab meat's just nicely warm through. We have that with rice. Mmm. Don't get Tesco's own crab meat - not very nice. Sainsbury's or John West not too bad.

[Louise]

In all my 43 years I only tried asparagus last Christmas. I had never really fancied it, but it was the only starter I would remotely eat on the menu. I was so pleased it was, as I ended up really enjoying it. Served in the same way as you minus the lemon. x

[anna]

I love asparagus too- we live slap bang in the middle of the Vale of Evesham where it grows madly, everywhere! We have a row at the allotment but it won't be prime for picking until next year. For now, like you, I am buying at the market or little road side stalls and enjoying it whilst I can. Brilliant pictures!

[Alice C]

I am feeling the need to rush out to the farm shop before closing time.

Great photos.

[simone]

I love Asparagus too. I have never tried it with the cheese,olive oil,lemon combination though.

[kathy jobson]

Oh my god, I am really hungry now! Divine. Kathy