May is the month of my birthday and it brings with it beautiful foods to consume. Asparagus like peas are a treat best enjoyed fresh from the garden, not after being flown around the world in a shrink wrapped package.
Asparagus is loaded with nutrients, fibre, folate, and vitamin A, C, E and K, as well as chromium. Chromium is a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells, so asparagus is a useful vegetable to pair with other carbohydrates in your post workout nutrition.
As a herbaceous plant—along with avocado, kale and Brussels sprouts—asparagus is also a rich source of glutathione and other antioxidants. Glutathione is a compound that helps break down carcinogens and free radicals to detox the body. As such asparagus is ranked as one of the top fruit and vegetables for this reason and may help slow the ageing process and protect against and fight certain forms of cancer.
Asparagus is also a natural diuretic due to the high level of amino acid asparagine it contains. the benefit of increased urination is the release of excess fluids from the body but also helps rid the body of excess salts. this is highly beneficial for people who suffer from oedema (an accumulation of fluids in the body’s tissues) and those who have high blood pressure or other heart-related diseases
So no excuses grab a bunch and tuck in!
The recipe below is a little more complicated than most of my dishes but you can simplify it by using quail or chicken eggs instead (free range/organic) and if you are in a hurry leave the mousse out and increase the veggies on the plate. If you have the time though make it in full as it is worth the extra effort. I nabbed this gem from a great website called www.britishlarder.co.uk, if you like this check out their site for further interesting combinations. This recipe serves 4 as a starter,
Get set:
For the asparagus mousse
50g banana shallots, chopped
40g unsalted butter
250g asparagus, chopped (both stalks and tips)
25g fresh spinach leaves
300ml white chicken stock
2 leaves of gelatine, bloomed (softened in cold water, then squeezed gently to remove excess water)
100ml double cream
juice of ½ lemon
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
For the asparagus and pheasant egg salad
4 pheasant eggs
20 asparagus spears
50ml classic vinaigrette
2 handfuls of mixed seasonal salad leaves
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For the mousse. Sauté shallots in butter in a saucepan until transparent but not coloured. Add the asparagus and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the spinach.
In another saucepan, bring the stock to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, adding bloomed gelatine and stir until dissolved. Place both sautéed asparagus and the stock in a blender and whizz, stir in the cream. Add seasoning and lemon juice to taste. Pour the mixture into a plastic container, place the container over ice in the fridge and chill for about 3 hours or until set.
For the salad, cook the eggs in a pan of boiling salted water (with a dash of white wine vinegar added to the water) for 3 minutes for pheasant eggs longer for others. Drain, cool immediately in iced water and then carefully peel.
Cut the tips off the asparagus spears so they are about 7cm long and then cut the remainder of the stalks (that are good enough to eat) into slices. Cook all the asparagus in a pan of rapidly boiling salted water for 3–4 minutes till al dente. Drain and toss the cooked asparagus in vinaigrette and season to taste.
To serve, spoon two large spoonfuls of asparagus mousse onto a plate, place a pheasant egg on one spoonful and season the egg with salt and pepper. Toss the salad leaves with the warm asparagus and arrange on the plates. Serve immediately.