Tom Kitchin recipe: Asparagus with orange and balsamic
Recipe: Asparagus with orange and balsamic
The Scottish asparagus season is short, running from early May until mid-June, but the quality in that time is truly outstanding. We’ve been getting some exceptional early asparagus from the Wye Valley at the restaurant, but I relish the moment when the first of the crop arrives from Eassie Farm near Glamis Castle, only about an hour’s journey from our restaurant. My supplier, Sandy Pattullo, has been bringing me some of the best asparagus in the world since we opened The Kitchin in 2006. To this day some diners still tell me it’s the best asparagus they’ve ever tasted. Great asparagus is intense, juicy and crunchy with a slightly sweet, yet lovely earthy, grassy taste. Though Scottish asparagus can be slightly lighter in colour, it’s no less flavoursome. If it’s cooked perfectly and married with other fresh seasonal ingredients and natural matches, you will truly savour it every time. Growing and farming asparagus takes a lot of time and nurturing, with two years or more before it is ready to pick. The care and passion that goes into growing the asparagus means that it’s important you treat the produce with care and passion when you’re preparing it. The moment it arrives at the door, I store the bright green spears in ice cold water for about 10-15 minutes as it keeps them as fresh as possible and makes sure they retain their vibrant green colour. After that, I lay them out on a tray and cover them with a damp cloth. When I’m ready to start cooking, I remove all of the little points on the stems and then cut the spears evenly into the size I want them. I always keep the trimmings to make a delicious sauce or soup. If it’s fresh, asparagus needs very little preparation, and the trick is not to cook it for too long or you begin to lose the quality. Served simply with hollandaise sauce and poached eggs, accompanied with some fresh seasonal seafood, like langoustines or scallops, or blanched lightly and served with balsamic and vivid orange – these simple flavour combinations offer a true taste of spring.
Ingredients
- Serves four
- 20 large asparagus spears
- salt
- 2 litres of water
- handful of spinach
- handful of parsley
- For the dressing (makes 100ml)
- ½ vanilla pod
- 3 oranges
- 80g caster sugar
- 50ml of water
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Serves: 4 Difficulty: Medium Time to cook: 15 mins
Method
To prepare the orange balsamic:
Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Grate the outer peel of one orange. Cut all 3 oranges in half and squeeze in the juice (save the remainder of the orange for cubes to garnish). Place the juice in a saucepan with the vanilla seeds, pod and grated peel. Add the water and sugar and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and keep simmering until the liquid is reduced by about half, then add 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and continue to reduce until the consistency is like syrup. Serve while still warm.
To prepare the asparagus:
Remove the little points from the asparagus stems with a sharp knife and trim off the woody bases. Tie the asparagus spears in a bundle with string so they are all facing the same way. Take a large pan and add the water and a good handful of salt. Taste the solution make sure it is quite salty. Bring the water to the boil, then plunge the asparagus into the pan and cook for 6-7 minutes until tender. Check that the asparagus is cooked by gently piercing a stem with a knife. If the knife enters gently, the asparagus is ready; if there is still resistance, leave it in the water for another minute. Remove the asparagus, take off the string and put the spears on a plate.
To serve:
You can either serve the asparagus stems whole, or cut them in half lengthways. Place them on the plate and add cubes of orange, a handful of spinach and parsley, and drizzle with the orange balsamic.