Asparagus Tikka

There's been a lot of vegetable recipes on the site recently, not because I've resorted to vegetarianism, just simply because there is some great seasonal veg available this time of year. This recipe came about when I was cooking chicken tikka on the bbq and had some leftover marinade so used it on the accompanying asparagus. The marinade works really well with white asparagus as it has a natural sweetness, green not so well. The marinade will also pair nicely with cauliflower.

10 white asparagus spears peeled

For the tikka marinade
2g coriander seeds
10g cumin seeds
15g tomato puree
5g garam masala
2g chilli flakes
10g sweet paprika powder
Juice 1 lemon
10g grated red onion
10g fresh ginger grated
2 cloves garlic grated
5g salt
100ml yoghurt

Roast the coriander and cumin seeds in a pan over medium heat for 5 mins
Once roasted, grind in a mortar and pestle
Mix the rest of the ingredients together to form a thick paste

To cook the asparagus
Coat the asparagus spears well in the marinade and allow to sit for 15 minutes
Set your BBQ up for direct cooking at 220c
Cook the spears for 3-6 minutes (this depends on the thickness of the spears) ensuring you get a nice char
The spears are cooked when a knife pierces the spear easily

Flammkuchen with white asparagus and pancetta

I've had a slight obsession with flammkuchen recently, no idea why, but I like the idea of something that is a slight variation from a pizza. Pizza without the tomato sauce. I liked the idea of combining the sweetness of roasted asparagus with a tart creme fraiche sauce and saltiness of bacon. Some of you may know flammkuchen as Tarte Flambee which is an Alsace dish.

If you fancy making this dish more often or like to make pizzas often then I would suggest you invest in a pizza stone and a peel (this is the large paddle object used to transfer the pizza in and out of the oven). They will make your life a lot easier. Don't skimp on a very cheap stone as they are prone to cracking and you'll spend more replacing them continually.

Asparagus Flammkuchen

4 Asparagus spears peeled and halved
70g pancetta diced or slices of bacon diced
Half a red onion thinly sliced
 50 ml Creme fraiche whisked to loosen it up, seasoned with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of dijon mustard

For the dough
300g 00 or strong bread flour
7g dried yeast
175ml - 200ml warm water
10g salt


If you have a pizza stone then place it in the oven and pre-heat at whatever the maximum temperature is for your oven
If you don't have a stone then ensure the oven is as hot as possible
Those of you cooking on the bbq, you are looking at 600celsuis and ensure your pizza stone has been put in the bbq in advance for that crispy base.

Start by making the dough, essentially this is a pizza base and you can get up to 2-3 flammkuchen bases out of this mix depending on how large you make them
Add the water to the dough, yeast and salt, mix until it forms a wet ball, you can do this either in a mixer or by hand.
Once the dough is mixed and has come together knead the dough for 5 minutes and then cover with cling film or a cloth and leave to rest in the bowl in a warm place to rise for about 40 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

For ease of transfer onto a baking sheet or pizza stone, I always roll the dough out on some baking paper.

To make the bases, take about a quarter or third of the dough and roll out till you get a reasonably flat base. It should not be thick as the base is meant to be crispy.

Next place the onions, pancetta/bacon and asparagus on the dough and drizzle with the crème fraiche.

Cook for 8-10 mins or until the base is crispy.

 I like to serve this with a nice glass of Alsace pinot gris.

Enjoy!

Asparagus and ham Frittata

My other favourite time of year is here again, the asparagus season! I do have two rules about asparagus, I will only eat it in season and I will only eat it if it comes from the country where I'm living (at the time). If I can get local then that is even better (I apply the rule to most veg and meats if possible). 

In the UK the mainstream crop is green asparagus and up until recently here in the Netherlands it wasn't that widely available, so I had to make do with white. White asparagus is sweeter and pairs well with cheesier sauces and salty ham or bacon. My preference though is for green and I always kick the season off by steaming it and serving it with nothing but butter and salt. Other favourites are of course hollandaise sauce, poached duck/hen eggs or parma ham and balsamic with parmesan.

6 eggs

4 stalks asparagus peeled and quartered

50g cheese of choice grated

4 slices ham
10ml oil for frying

salt and pepper to taste

Beat six eggs in a bowl to make an omelette base, season with the salt and pepper
Place the oil in a frying pan and bring it up to a low heat
Pour the eggs into the pan
Sprinkle the cheese over the egg mix
Add some sliced ham to cover the cheese and place the asparagus on top of the ham
Place the asparagus on top
Once you have finished the assembly, take off the heat and then place under a hot grill for 5 minutes

For those of you who would prefer a vegetarian dish, you can omit the ham.