Asparagus

RECIPES & IMAGES EMMA GALLOWAY

Chargrilled Purple Asparagus with Pine Nut Dressing

Purple asparagus is one of those spring treats which comes and goes in the blink of an eye, so make the most of it while you can! During the season you can find it at selected supermarkets or order online from Naked Harvest. Purple asparagus has a slightly higher sugar content than its green cousins, so it’s sweeter and more tender. This means it’s great for eating raw or very briefly cooked, like I have here, to retain its beautiful purple hue (they turn green when fully cooked). If you love halloumi, add some grilled pieces to make into a more substantial side.

SERVES 3–4

500g purple asparagus, ends snapped off olive oil, salt and pepper chives, finely chopped

PINE NUT DRESSING

2 tbsp lightly toasted pine nuts, finely chopped, plus extra to serve 1 tsp Dijon mustard ½ tsp honey or pure maple syrup ¼ cup lemon juice ¹⁄³ cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat a chargrill or heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Place asparagus into a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, mix well to coat. Chargrill asparagus in batches 2–4 minutes, turning until just tender and golden. Transfer to a serving plate. Combine chopped pine nuts, Dijon mustard and honey/maple in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add lemon juice and continue whisking as you drizzle in the olive oil to form the dressing. Season with salt, to taste. Dress grilled asparagus with dressing and scatter over chopped chives and extra chopped toasted pine nuts, if using.

Herbed Asparagus and Brown Rice Salad

This herb-forward brown rice salad is just as nice eaten fresh as it is eaten as leftovers the next day. If you eat feta, a little crumbling of that would also be a great addition.

SERVES 6–8

3 cups cooked, cooled medium-grain brown rice 500g asparagus 3–4 radishes, finely sliced handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

SALSA VERDE

1 cup mint leaves 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp capers, chopped ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp lemon juice finely grated zest 1 lemon

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Place cooked brown rice in a large bowl. Snap the ends off the asparagus and place into the boiling water. Cook 45–60 seconds until just tender, drain and plunge into iced water. Drain, cut in half on a diagonal and add to the bowl of rice, along with the sliced radishes and chopped parsley. To make the salsa verde, combine mint and parsley in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. In a bowl, combine mustard, chopped capers, lemon zest and juice and olive oil. Stir through chopped herbs, season well with salt. Stir salsa verde through the brown rice mixture, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Emma Galloway mydarlinglemonthyme.com | @mydarlinglemonthyme

Emma Galloway is a former chef, food photographer and creator of the multi-award winning food blog My Darling Lemon Thyme. She is the author of three cookbooks, her latest book Every Day was released in April 2021. She lives in Raglan with her husband and two children.

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