Recipes & Nutrional Information

Recipes

Asparagus Pasta

Serves 2 - 4

1 bunch asparagus
1 cup water
1 heaped tablespoon butter
1 heaped tablespoon flour
1/2 cup cream
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 - 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 soft-boiled eggs
possibly a little milk
black pepper
salt to taste
optional: 1 tb parmesan cheese, grated

Boil asparagus in the water till it's as soft as you like it. Scoop out the asparagus and snap off the hard bottom bits- don't do this before cooking as they will flavour the water.

In another pan melt the butter; stir in the flour; slowly add the asparagus water, stirring well so it isn't lumpy. Add the cream; stir till thickened over a low heat. you may need to add milk to thin it. Add the lemon juice, the parsley, the cheese if you are using it. Stir again over a low heat while you add the chopped asparagus. Take off the heat as soon as the asparagus is warm- don't cook it any more.

Pour the sauce over the pasta; chop the hardboiled eggs on top of it., one or two per person.

Asparagus Stir-Fry

450g Asparagus (ends removed) cut into 2.5mm diagonal slices
1/2 medium onion, sliced lengthwise
110g (less if desired) sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. mashed black beans
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
1 Tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in small amount of cold water
1 tsp. sesame oil prior to serving or toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Heat oil in wok or fry pan. Add asparagus and stir-fry about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and onions and stir-fry about one more minute. Add black beans, garlic, soy sauce, and small amount of chicken broth or water. Cover. Simmer about 4 minutes or until asparagus is tender crisp. Add sufficient cornstarch paste for desired consistency and heat to thicken. Add sesame oil or sesame seeds if desired. Serves 3-4. Excellent with marinated stir-fry flank steak or chicken strips and rice; also with crab or shrimp omelet. Best with fresh asparagus but also good with frozen asparagus.

Asparagus, Leek, and Potato Soup

1.3kg asparagus (coarsely sliced)
2 large leeks
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
3 Tbsp. butter or oil
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup light cream or milk
Salt and white pepper to taste
Chopped chives or asparagus tips (optional garnishes)

Trim the root end of leeks, cut off and discard about half of green stems. Slit the leeks several times lengthwise and rinse well under cold water. Chop the leeks and sauté in small amount of oil or butter with onions until almost tender. Add the potatoes, asparagus, and chicken stock. Simmer about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Now in small quantities, blenderize the mixture until smooth (Caution: you may wish to cool it first to avoid burns and a messy kitchen! If you do not have a blender and use a food processor, you will have a less creamy consistency.) For extra smoothness, you may wish to sieve the blenderized mixture to remove any fibrous portions, particularly if you use asparagus ends. Then add cream or milk to mixture and heat just to the boil. Season, garnish, and serve. If you garnish with asparagus tips, cook them (separately) first until tender crisp. This recipe makes approximately ten 1 cup servings and it freezes well. It may separate when reheating (micro-wave works well) but a brief whisking will resolve this.