The weekend before last, for the first time ever, we enjoyed home grown asparagus for our Easter Sunday lunch. Home grown asparagus and blazing hot sunshine - was it really Easter? It felt more like June than April!
More often than not, I like to cook asparagus very simply. Either boiled until just tender so it still has a bit of a crunch, as I cooked it for Easter to accompany the garlicky rack of lamb. Or, (to save on washing up!) wrapped in a foil parcel with a drizzle of olive oil and cooked in the oven.
Recently though, this recipe has been making a regular appearance at lunch time.
Freshly picked on the way back from my morning dog walk, the asparagus spears are deliciously sweet and tender. I usually have some competition picking the asparagus - Barney, my cocker spaniel, he likes to chomp the spears all the way down to the ground!
The asparagus is cooked in boiling salted water until it is only just tender, then I wrap the bundles in Serrano ham and cook them in a hot oven until crispy. Which gives me just enough time to whisk the ingredients together for the dressing and fetch some fresh mint from the pots by the back door then lunch is ready.
Here's the link for the recipe:
Asparagus Wrapped in Serrano Ham with Mint & Almond Dressing
In the UK, we excel at growing asparagus, particularly in the area known as the Vale of Evesham, read more here ...
