Paula McIntyre’s speared greatness celebrating asparagus season

Chicken and miso broth with asparagus and scallions

Chicken and miso broth with asparagus and scallions

Grilled asparagus and tonnato

Chicken and miso broth with asparagus and scallions

April 23 2022 07:00 AM

April 23 is the traditional start of the asparagus season. It’s notoriously hard to grow and most of the British varieties come from the Vale of Evesham in England, where generations of families have had plenty of experience in managing it.

You can buy it all year round from far flung places like Peru and Mexico but it makes so much more sense to enjoy it now, in its limited season. Locally grown is vastly superior in the flavour department and you have the added bonus of a smaller carbon footprint.

It’s an ancient vegetable – there are depictions of it in Egyptian friezes dating back to 3000BC. The Greeks and Romans ate it in season and then dried it for the winter months. The Emperor Augustus created an “Asparagus Fleet” for hauling this sought after vegetable. He coined the expression “faster than cooking asparagus” to describe a quick action.

Asparagus is an almost regal plant, standing pert and proud out of the earth. Augustus was right about cooking it – into boiling salted water for a matter of minutes, until a knife can be inserted easily and then drained.

Traditionally asparagus would be served with a rich hollandaise sauce which is delicious but for the recipes this week I’ve erred on the lighter side of things. A broth is one of those dishes that transcends the seasons.

In winter it warms and fulfils but now with spring here it can an invigorating bowl of seasonal goodness. The base for the broth is a stock made from roast chicken wings simmered with aromatic vegetables, garlic, ginger and miso.

Chicken breast is poached in the liquor and while it rests asparagus and scallions are added. Poached chicken gets a bad press but when you cook it gently in a flavour packed stock it’s tasty and has a juicy texture.

Vitello Tonnato is a classic Italian dish of poached veal with tuna sauce. It sounds like a strange flavour combination but really works.

Veal is hard to source but I find the tonnato sauce where good quality tinned or jarred tuna is whizzed into an emulsion sauce goes with a variety of ingredients. Asparagus is the perfect accompaniment for it. You can blanch and grill it and use it to dip into the tonnato. Alternatively serve it with as a salad with some dressed leaves, soft boiled eggs and radishes.

Locally grown asparagus is only here for a short time and should be cherished and celebrated as long as it is. When it’s gone you have taste memories and the exciting prospect of its reappearance next year.

Chicken and miso broth with asparagus and scallions

500g chicken wings

1 tablespoon oil

1 onion, chopped

1 stick celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

25g grated ginger

1 tablespoon miso

Juice ½ lemon

2 chicken breasts

6 stalks asparagus

6 scallions

Handful fresh coriander

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the wings. Cook until well coloured and add the onion, celery, garlic and ginger. Cook until golden then cover with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for a couple of hours. Strain and whisk in the miso. Add the chicken breasts and gently poach until cooked through – about 12-15 minutes. Remove breasts and set aside. Trim the rough bottom from the asparagus and cut into 4 pieces. Cut the scallions into 4 pieces. Add both to the broth and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until asparagus is just cooked. Check seasoning and add lemon juice. Slice chicken place in 4 bowls. Top with the broth and scatter some coriander over the top.

Grilled asparagus and tonnato

125g tinned or jarred good quality tuna, drained weight

1 garlic clove, peeled

Juice of ½ lemon

1 egg plus an extra yolk

1 small handful parsley leaves

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

150ml olive oil or good local rapeseed oil

Salt and pepper, to season

Put all the ingredients, except the oil and seasoning, into a food processor or a bowl suitable for an immersion blender, and pulse until smooth.

While pulsing, add the oil, bit by bit, then blend until smooth. The consistency should be loose, but not runny – somewhere between single and double cream. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper, as needed.

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