Simple asparagus recipes

Learn how to cook this popular Spring vegetable and get inspiration for Easter cooking. Our Flavours cook Livia has put together her favourite asparagus recipes that take just a few minutes to make!

INSALATA DI ASPARAGI, PINOLI E PANCETTA

This recipe serves 3

You will need:

• 5 slices of cured pancetta
• 300g asparagus
• 1 lemon
• 20g pine nuts
• 2 celery stalks
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Black pepper
• Salt

Method:

1. Clean and cut away some any of the harder/woodier parts of the asparagus.
2. There is no waste. The pieces you cut away can be used to make a soup or an Asparagus patè.
3. Bring some water to the boil and add some rock salt.
   There is a special pan used to boil asparagus. It is called ASPARAGERA. It is a tall narrow pan, allowing you to cook the asparagus standing straight. This will ensure the tip will be steamed instead of boiled, keeping it nice and crunchy. The lower part, which is harder, will cook better.
4. As it is unlikely you will have an ASPARAGERA, use string and tie the asparagus into a bundle allowing you to cook it standing up. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Remove and cut the asparagus into cubes, about 1cm wide.
6. In a nonstick pan, cook your slices of cured pancetta, until crunchy.
7. In the same pan toast the pine nuts.
8. When ready cut the pancetta into small pieces.
9. In a bowl add the crunchy pancetta and toasted pine nuts to the asparagus.
10. Cut some stalks of celery into thin slices, the heart of the celery is better, and add to the bowl.
11. Cut the lemon in half and keeping the zest, slice some thin slices and add them to the rest of the ingredients.
12. When all the ingredients are ready, season the salad with some good extra virgin olive oil. Allow the salad to stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy this Easter salad!

ASPARAGI ALLA BISMARK

• 5 asparagus
• 1 egg
• 50g butter
• 2 spoons of parmigiano
• salt
• pepper

Method:

1. Clean and cut away some of the harder/woodier parts of the asparagus.
2. Boil some water.
3. Using string tie the asparagus into a bundle allowing you to cook it standing up. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
4. When cooked, drain and melt some butter in a pan.
5. Season and finish cooking the asparagus in the butter for 5 other minutes.
6. Sprinkle some parmigiano on them and when they are almost ready pour over one egg.
7. Cover the pan and cook the egg for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes turn off the heat and leave it to finish cooking.
8. The yolk should be soft!
9. Buona Pasqua!

UOVA RIPIENE DI CREMA DI ASPARAGI

• 3 boiled eggs
• 150g asparagus
• 1 spoon of creamy cheese
• 1 shallot
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Method:

1. Boil the eggs in salted water for about 8 minutes.
2. When ready, cool in cold water and then remove the shells.
3. Cut each hard boiled egg in half, from top to bottom.
4. Boil the asparagus in salted water for about 5 minutes.
5. To make this asparagus sauce, you could also use the harder parts of the asparagus you removed from the previous recipes.
6. When partly cooked, cut them in small pieces and cook them in a pan with some olive oil and a diced shallot.
7. Season with salt and pepper and when cooked, blend into a sauce.
8. Take the yolk out of the hard boiled eggs and mix it into the sauce.
9. Mix the creamy cheese into the rest of the asparagus sauce.
10. Spoon the sauce into the boiled eggs.

Enjoy as a starter for Easter lunch!