Jamie Olivers Asparagus Recipes

AMAZING ASPARAGUS FOUR WAYS

Steps:

• 1. STEAMED ASPARAGUS & QUICK TOMATO SAUCE
• Bring 2.5cm of water to the boil in a large pan. Meanwhile, pick the leaves from 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, slice 4 rashers of quality smoked streaky bacon into matchsticks, and halve 4 large ripe tomatoes. Grate the tomato halves cut side down on a fine grater, discarding the skins. Put 500g of washed asparagus (woody ends snapped off) into a colander and place over the pan of boiling water. Cover with a lid or tin foil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until just tender. Meanwhile, put a large frying pan on a high heat. Add a lug of olive oil and the sliced bacon. Once the bacon is crispy, add the rosemary leaves and cook for about 40 seconds, then remove both to a plate. Add a knob of butter to the same pan, then add the tomato, bring to the boil and season well. Move the asparagus to a serving platter, pour over the hot tomato sauce, scatter over the crispy bacon and rosemary and serve. 2. WORCESTERSHIRE ASPARAGUS & MUSHROOMS ON TOAST Peel and finely slice 4 cloves of garlic. Put a large frying pan on a high heat and add a good lug of olive oil. Whack 4 slices of nice bread into the toaster. Slice 2 handfuls of mushrooms (brushed clean) and 500g of washed asparagus (woody ends snapped off) into bite-sized chunks. Add them to the hot pan with the sliced garlic and toss and fry for around 4 minutes. Finely chop a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley and add most of it to the pan, along with 8 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and a knob or two of butter. Take the pan off the heat and shake and stir around for 30 seconds, or until the sauce has reduced down. Season to taste, then spoon over the slices of hot toast and top with the rest of the parsley. 3. LEMON BUTTERED GRILLED ASPARAGUS & SHAVED LANCASHIRE CHEESE Put your griddle pan on a high heat. Place 500g of washed asparagus (woody ends snapped off) on the dry griddle pan. Turn and lightly char on both sides until just tender (roughly 2 to 3 minutes on each side), then toss in a large bowl with a knob of butter, a good squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Divide between plates or serve on a big platter. Toss 2 large handfuls of salad leaves with a little extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Use a speed-peeler to shave over a nice crumbly British cheese like Lancashire or Ticklemore, and serve. 4. MINTED RAW ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH BABY SPINACH & FRESH GARDEN PEAS Put 2 large handfuls of washed baby spinach leaves and 2 large handfuls of freshly podded spring peas into a salad bowl. Finely slice a handful of fresh mint leaves and add to the bowl, then use a speed-peeler to shave 8 large spears of raw washed asparagus (woody ends snapped off) into ribbons. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon, and drizzle over three times as much extra virgin olive oil. Crumble over a small handful of soft goat's cheese, then toss and serve on a platter. The peas always fall to the bottom of the bowl, so pick them up, scatter them over the top and serve.

TENDER ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• This works great as a stand-alone recipe, but also as a component in Jamie's Sunny Gathering from Together - see the full collection of menus here.
• GET AHEAD Roughly chop the green part of the spring onions and place in a blender with the mustard, vinegar and 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Tear in three-quarters of the parsley leaves, add a swig of water and blitz until smooth. Season to perfection, tasting and tweaking, then cover. Pick the remaining parsley leaves into a bowl, then trim, finely slice and add the whites of the spring onions, and cover with water. Refrigerate both overnight.
• ON THE DAY Put a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Finely slice the bacon, chop the bread into 1cm chunks, and place it all in the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a good pinch of black pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp, tossing regularly. Keep in the pan, ready to reheat. Divide the dressing between a large serving bowl and a smaller bowl, ready for drizzling. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus, then cook in a large pan of boiling water for 3 minutes, or until just tender. Use tongs to transfer the asparagus straight into the larger bowl of dressing, tossing to coat. Gently lower the eggs into the boiling water with a pinch of sea salt to cook for 6 minutes, then drain, cool under cold running water, and peel.
• TO SERVE Heat up the croutons. Halve the eggs and dot among the asparagus. Drain the parsley and spring onion garnish, pat dry, then scatter over the top, and take everything to the table - the asparagus will be delicious hot, warm or cold. I enjoy this starter with a glass of quality cold sparkling cider.

COUSCOUS WITH GRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLES AND LOADS OF HERBS

Steps:

• Place the couscous in a bowl with the cold water. This will start to soften the couscous and you will see the water disappear as its soaks in. While the couscous is softening, we need to blacken the peppers. I do this by placing the peppers directly on the naked flame of my gas burner. If you don't have gas, then blacken under the grill. Both ways you need to blacken the peppers on all sides, so turn when need be. When fully blackened, place in a sandwich bag, wrap in plastic wrap or cover in a bowl for 5 minutes until cool. This will steam the skins and make peeling and deseeding easier. Remove the skins and seeds and roughly chop. On a very hot ridged grill pan, lightly char the asparagus and patty pans on both sides then toss them into the bowl of couscous with the peppers, spring onions, chilies and torn or chopped herbs. Mix well. Add the olive oil and lemon juice dressing and toss well. Finally, taste and season with salt and pepper and a couple of dribbles of red wine vinegar for a slight twang. It's a beautiful thing.
• Mix together all the ingredients

PAN COOKED CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS, PANCETTA AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Slice the chicken into 3 finger size pieces, but ensure that you keep it as 1 piece (fan it out). This will help to cook the chicken much faster. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a medium-sized frying pan, add some oil, and brown the chicken on all sides. Place the pancetta on top of the chicken and the asparagus around it, let it char a little, then put the pancetta on the bottom of the pan to crisp up and turn the chicken over. Turn up the heat, throw in the tomatoes, olives, basil, and a good knob of butter. Take off the heat once the butter has melted and add a splash of wine to make a sauce, squishing in a few of the tomatoes to finish it off.

PAN-COOKED ASPARAGUS AND MIXED FISH

Steps:

• Get a really large frying pan, or 2 smaller ones, on the heat and add a glug of olive oil. Score the skin of your fish fillets all over, about 1/2-inch deep, and season. Put the fish fillets into the pan, skin side down, with the squid tentacles. Add the scallops. Run your knife down 1 side of each squid to open them out, then quickly and lightly score the inside in a crisscross fashion. Lay them in the pan, scored side down. Add the asparagus and gently shake the pan. Cook for a few minutes, then turn everything over and cook on the other side. Sprinkle over the thyme tips.
• You're the one in control of the pan, so if something looks cooked, take it out and keep it warm. Don't watch things burn! When the fish has crispy skin, the scallops are golden brown with caramelized edges and the squid has curled up and is nicely charred, remove the pan from the heat. Put the squid on a chopping board and roughly slice it into pieces at an angle, then return to the pan. Lay the fish fillets on each plate. Toss the asparagus, scallops and squid with half the chile, a good drizzle of good quality extra-virgin olive oil and the lemon juice. Lightly season and mix together. Divide on top of the plated fish. Sprinkle with the rest of the chopped chile and the fennel tops, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

CRISPY AND DELICIOUS ASPARAGUS AND POTATO TART

Steps:

• Put your potatoes into a pan of salted boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile blanch your asparagus in a separate pan of salted boiling water for 4 minutes, and drain in a colander.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Get an ovenproof dish - I've used many different shapes and sizes. Layer the sheets of filo pastry in the dish, brushing them with melted butter as you go and letting about 1-inch hang over the edge. You want to get the pastry about 5 layers thick. Put a clean, damp kitchen towel over the top and put aside.
• When the potatoes are done, mash them with the cheeses. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and cream and stir into your cheesy mashed potato. Grate in the nutmeg, season well with pepper and mix together. Spread the mashed potato over the filo pastry, then bring up the sides of the filo and scrunch them together to form a rim. Take your blanched asparagus and line them up across the filling, making sure you cover it all. Brush all over with the remaining melted butter and pop into the preheated oven for around 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve just as you would a quiche for a quick lunch or supper, with a salad.
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ASPARAGUS AND POTATO TART - JAMIE OLIVER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Also, set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Trim asparagus spears to fit into a rectangular tart pan (with removable bottom). Toss trimmed asparagus into boiling salted water for about 2 minutes to blanch.
• Boil potatoes for 12 minutes in salted water. Drain.
• While potatoes are boiling, layer phyllo into tart pan, leaving about 1" of dough overhanging the edge of the pan. Butter each sheet as it goes into the pan.
• Mash potatoes with Cheddar and Lancashire cheeses. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add nutmeg and cream. Add eggs and mix well. Pour into tart pan. Lay asparagus spears on top, alternating directions of tips. Brush top lightly with any remaining melted butter. Crimp overhanging phyllo up along edge of tart pan. Put pan on the lowest shelf of the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and allow it to set for at least 15 minutes.
• Serve with a light salad of fresh spring greens.