FOOD COLUMN: Summer itself in a tasty dish
It’s not been a good year for asparagus so far, but the recent drenching has given it a boost and in the garden we have that rarest of things, an asparagus glut.
In a normal year, there’s little more to do with asparagus than steam it, cover it in butter and eat it. But with a bit extra, it’s nice to experiment a little and expand the asparagus repertoire.
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Hide AdAsparagus soup is delicious, but this can be done with the stalks, unless you are royally extravagant and use the whole spear. A layer of asparagus tips around a salmon fillet in a puff pastry Wellington is another treat. But for me, it has to be an asparagus quiche.
A good quiche makes a lovely summer dinner. The classic quiche Lorraine recipe can be tweaked to accommodate a huge variety of seasonal ingredients and kitchen leftovers. It is also very forgiving for novices.
Quiches are best served warm, so leave yours to cool a little after removing from the oven. Serve with baby new potatoes and a seasonal salad. The flavours are delicately savoury and the rich golden colour is summer itself in a dish.
RECIPE
Ingredients
10” pastry lined quiche dish
1 bunch asparagus
4 eggs
200ml milk
100g grated cheddar
3 rashers bacon
Method
Line a 10” quiche dish (adjust ingredients for a larger/smaller dish) with shortcrust pastry and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
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Hide AdChop the bacon finely and fry for a few minutes. Leave to cool. Part cook the asparagus, until soft but still frim. Leave to cool.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and then stir in the milk, bacon and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour mixture into the quiche dish and arrange the asparagus evenly. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 30-35 minutes. Quiche will be firm and slightly golden.