ASPARAGUS “ANTI PASTI” – VEGETARIAN (SERVES 4)
Fritters, burnt fennel & honey yoghurt 2. Tartare, paneer, spice & herbs 3. Gazpacho, basil, spice & olive oil
WHAT YOU NEED
In total, you will need 36 spears fresh green asparagus, good thick spears (approx. 750g to 1kg)
Asparagus fritters – burnt fennel & honey yoghurt
Ingredients:
24 of the blanched asparagus ‘tips’ (see instructions), carefully sliced in half lengthways
Batter Ingredients
50g gram flour
50ml water
1 tsp sunflower oil
Spices: ½ tsp powdered turmeric and 1 tsp coriander fruits, crushed
Small handful chopped mint leaf
Juice and zest of ½ lime
Pinch of sea salt and little extra
Dressing
50ml full fat, plain yoghurt
Juice ½ lemon
A good squeeze of runny honey, about 1 tbsp
½ tsp whole fennel fruits, dry toasted until they smoke and turn from green to a brown colour, then pour onto a small plate and allow to cool completely
Small handful chopped mint leaf
Asparagus tartare – paneer, spices & herbs
Ingredients:
12 of the blanched asparagus tips and 12 blanched stems
2 free-range Clarence Court quail egg yolks or ½ medium organic hen egg yolk
50g thick soured cream, or good crème Fraiche
juice of ½ lime
1 banana shallot, peeled, finely diced, rinsed in cold water and patted dry
25g paneer, finely diced
1 fresh red finger chilli, finely diced
Spices: ½ tsp whole carom fruits and the seeds from ½ black cardamom pod and 2 green cardamom pods finely ground
2 tsp finely chopped chives and dill
Sea salt to taste
Asparagus Gazpacho
basil, spice & olive oil
Asparagus Gazpacho – basil, spice & olive oil
Ingredients:
24 blanched asparagus stems (all the remaining stems left)
1 medium-sized garlic clove, peeled
3 leaves of green basil
½ ripe Hass avocado, peeled, stoned and roughly chopped
50ml full fat coconut milk
300g of ice cubes
15g fresh ginger
Juice of 1 lime
A small dot of Wasabi, about 3g (optional, but definitely worth it)
1 tsp sea salt
Spices: ½tsp black pepper and ½tsp fennel fruits, freshly ground
Soft fruity virgin olive oil to garnish
HOW TO MAKE IT
Preparing the asparagus for the 3 dishes
Snap off the woody part of the stalks, discard. Shave each spear with a vegetable peeler. Cut each spear into two, ‘tips’ and ‘stems’. ‘Tips’ about one-third length and ‘stems’ two thirds the length. Next, blanch the asparagus tips for 30 seconds, refresh in iced water, then when completely cooled allow to dry on kitchen towel. Blanch the stems until just cooked, about 4 to 5 minutes, refresh in iced water and when completely cooled allow to dry on kitchen towel.
Asparagus Fritters:
1. Mix the batter ingredients to a lightly whipped cream consistency, then pop into a fridge for 20 minutes
2. In another small bowl, mix together all the dressing ingredients except the fennel and set aside in the fridge
3. Heat some sunflower oil in a deep fat fryer to 190˚C
4. Remove the batter from the fridge, gently coat the delicate tip halves in the batter
5. Using a fork, pop them into the oil one at a time to fry until they turn a light brown colour, about 60 seconds
6. Remove from the oil, immediately season with a little sea salt and rest on doubled-up kitchen paper
7 Pile attractively onto a warm platter, add the burnt fennel to the dressing, mix then drizzle lightly over the fritters and serve immediately.
Asparagus Tartare
- Slice the asparagus into fine dice reserving 2 of the tips. Cut them in half for garnish. Set aside
2.Take a shallow bowl, add the yolks, cream, lime juice and mix them together briskly with a fork
3. Add the asparagus, the shallot, the paneer and chilli dice, the spices, the herbs and a light touch of salt, then gently but firmly fold in the vegetables until really well combined. Check the seasoning
4.Arrange with two large spoons attractively on a plate with the tip garnish and serve straight away.
Asparagus Gazpacho
1. Pop everything into a blender and blitz to a smooth texture. Best is to then pass through a fine sieve.
2. Pour into frozen old fashioned glasses, drizzle with a little olive oil serve immediately.
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