ASPARAGUS WITH HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Now that spears of asparagus are beginning to poke their way through the soil, it’s time to enjoy one of nature’s most succulent vegetables. As its season is short and usually over by mid June, not one spear should be left to go to seed.
Asparagus goes particularly well with salmon fillets which you can buy frozen from Eynsham’s family butcher, Richard Golsby, if you are unable to travel to Oxford or Witney and buy it fresh. Those delicious flavours of asparagus are also complemented by an egg sauce, Hollandaise being one of them. This is a really quick and easy way to cook this sauce at home.
To serve four you will need:
One bunch freshly harvested asparagus
Juice from half a lemon
3 tbspns dry white wine
One bay leaf
6 whole peppercorns
One tbspn cold water mixed with three free range egg yolks
6oz (175g) butter - melted
One tbspn fresh parsley or chervil - chopped fine
Salt and freshly ground black peppercorns to season

Method:

* To make the Hollandaise put the lemon juice, wine, bay leaf and peppercorns in a small pan, place over high heat and allow to boil until the mix is reduced to just one tablespoon
* Strain the reduced liquid into the food processor, stir in the cold water
and egg yolks and zap on high speed for three minutes, by which time the mix will have become frothy and lighter in colour.
* Leave the processor running on low and gently feed the melted butter onto the eggs until the mix has begun to thicken.
* Stop the machine, taste, and adjust seasoning, add the fresh parsley or chervil, give it another second or two in the processor and you are finished. Keep the sauce covered in a warm place while you cook the asparagus.
* To serve pour a little Hollandaise over the asparagus, keeping the rest in a jug so that your guests can help themselves to more when they need it.

Click here for further inspiration ...

ASPARAGUS FOR BREAKFAST

Because asparagus goes well with eggs, it’s worth serving it for breakfast now and again as a special treat.
For two people you will need:
4 free range eggs
1oz (25g) butter
4 tbspns single cream or milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper corns
One bunch asparagus
Buttered toast

Method:

* This dish tastes best if you make the scrambled eggs while the asparagus is cooking in boiling salted water. If you can prepare the toast at the same time it will taste even better
* Prepare the asparagus by cutting away the woody ends. Rinse under cold water.
* Either steam the asparagus or cook for about five minutes in a frying pan filled with boiling water – the spears are easier to remove with a slatted spoon when cooked this way.
* While the water for the asparagus is heating up, whisk the eggs and the cream/milk together, season with salt and freshly ground black peppercorns.
* Place the butter into a non-stick saucepan, and place over a moderate heat.
* When the butter has melted, add the egg mixture and keep stirring with a whisk or fork to break up the curds.
* Remove from the heat before completely cooked as it will continue thickening for a moment or two and can go dry very quickly.
* Remove the asparagus from the pan and drain on kitchen paper, butter the toast and assemble the dish. Now enjoy a breakfast fit for a king.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

There are loads of ways to cook asparagus. As its season is so short (May to mid June) it really is worth making the most of it while it’s available by adding it to everything you cook.
Try roasting it for a change for example. Roasting is easy and really does keep all those delicious flavours locked in. Roasted asparagus certainly makes a flavoursome addition to the Sunday roast.

* All you have to do is cut away the woody bits at the end, rinse the spears under cold running water and pat dry.
* Place the spears in a pan or roasting dish large enough to take them comfortably.
* Drizzle a little olive oil over the asparagus and roll the spears round until the olive oil coats them entirely.
* 15 minutes before you serve up the rest of the meal, sprinkle a little salt over the spears and place in a hot oven (about 200° C/400°F or gas mark 6)
* Serve immediately you remove them from the oven

RHUBARB FOOL WITH A MODERN TWIST

Rhubarb is one of those plants that suffers from an identity crisis. Is it a fruit or a vegetable? Some experts are still out on that one. Today's Michelin starred chefs solve the problem by using it to flavour savoury dishes as well as puddings. Actually despite being considered a rather humble plant, rhubarb now features frequently on gastro pub menus.
At this time of the year gardeners are often giving it away because it is so abundant. If a gardener friend does offer you a bundle of fresh rhubarb from the allotment take it and enjoy making rhubarb crumbles, pies, tarts or rhubarb fools which provide a light summery pudding that everyone can enjoy.

For four people you will need:
One lb (450g) rhubarb
4 dspns honey
4oz (125g) mascarpone
200ml double cream
Grenadine

Method:

* Trim the rhubarb and cut into small chunks.
* Cook the rhubarb with the honey over a moderate heat until really soft, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
* Remove four dessertspoons of the cooked pulp, pour a little grenadine over it and set aside.
* Place the mascarpone into a large bowl, beat until soft and smooth, then add the main bulk of cooked rhubarb and beat in well.
* Whip the cream until almost stiff and fold it into the mascarpone mix and taste. If the rhubarb was particularly sharp you may need to add more honey or a little caster sugar if you wish.
* Divide mix into four bowls, place a spoonful of the reserved rhubarb in grenadine on the top and allow to chill for at least an hour.
* Splash a little more grenadine on top just before serving if you want to add extra colour.

RHUBARB CRUMBLE – A Village Favourite

Fruit crumbles are a real village favourite – especially with the older generation, who like me, were probably brought up on them.
Crumbles are very fashionable now – restaurants feature them on their menus often, though top chefs have played about with the basic recipe somewhat. Oxford’s Michelin starred chef Raymond Blanc, for instance, bakes the crumble mix separately, then adds it to the cooked fruit just before serving. He argues that this stops the juices of the fruit mixing with the crumble mix and turning it heavy. Others add all manner of things to the basic mix to enhance both texture and flavour.
I give you the basic mix that my mother loves – but remember that this is a village recipe which is open to interpretation. All sorts of extra ingredients can be added to a crumble.

To feed the family you will need:
One pound (450g) rhubarb – chopped
Sugar to sweeten rhubarb
Juice of one orange (optional)
8oz (250g) plain flour
3oz (75g) soft butter
2oz (50g) sugar
Pinch salt

Method:
* Prepare the rhubarb and place it in your favourite pudding dish, adding as much sugar as you think it needs to sweeten (2 tablespoons is usually enough), along with the juice of one large orange, or the equivalent measure of water.
* In a large bowl place the flour, butter, sugar and salt and rub together with your finger tips until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
* Scatter the crumble mix over the rhubarb and cook in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes or until the rhubarb juices begin to flow and the topping has begun to brown.

NOTE: To give the topping a real crunch try making it with a bread flour such as Matthews Cotswold crunch to which you can add a couple of spoonfuls of sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds – delicious.

RHUBARB WINE

In 1983 the late Mollie Harris, whose delightful books about the countryside made such an impact on Eynsham, wrote A Drop O’Wine. My copy is now brown with age and the pages are dropping out, but I still count it as a kitchen Bible. Those lucky enough to own a copy too will know that these simple recipes, which call for basic ingredients, work every time. What’s more they are a great way of using up fruits and vegetables from the allotment that are suddenly so abundant you can’t even give them away. This is Mollie’s recipe for Rhubarb wine. She advises it should be made in late May or early June.

You will need:
4lb rhubarb
3 ½ lb sugar
1 gallon boiling water
½oz yeast (fresh or dried)
A piece of root ginger as big as a walnut.

Method:

* Wipe the rhubarb with a cloth and cut it into small pieces – you don’t need to peel it.
* Place rhubarb in a clean bucket and pour a gallon of boiling water over it.
* Add the ginger (chopped), cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for four days, stirring each day.
* Strain into a clean bucket, add the sugar, stir until dissolved, then sprinkle on the yeast. Cover again and leave for two or three days.
* Strain through a muslin cloth into a sterilised demijohn using a funnel, topping it up with a little water if the demijohn is not quite full.
* Fix a bung and an airlock which has a little water in it, make sure it’s secure and then wait for the wine to begin working. When little bubbles begin escaping though the airlock, making a comforting plopping noise as they go, you know the wine is ready to be placed in a dark place for a few months to allow the yeast to do its work.

NOTE: Most of Mollie’s wines are ready to be bottled off in about three to four months, though I prefer to give them longer. Demijohns and all the equipment you need for home made wine making, including labels, corks and funnels, can usually be found at car boot sales or you can search for it on the internet.
Try Amazon for a copy of A Drop 0’Wine – when I last checked there were several copies available at a very reasonable price.

RADISH & CHICKEN STIRFRY

When friends admitted that they were snowed under with radishes because they had scattered radish seeds before departing for an overseas holiday, only to discover that their allotment was almost overrun with this spicy vegetable on their return – they cried for help. What could they do with them? There was a limit to how many raw radishes they could munch when enjoying a glass of wine at the end of the day.
Add them to a stir-fry I said. And here’s the recipe I offered them.

For two hungry people you will need:
A large handful of fresh radishes (at least 8)
Two chicken breasts – skinned and sliced
Flour to coat raw chicken
One clove garlic – chopped fine
One small onion – chopped fine
One handful small spinach leaves
Three sprigs parsley – chopped fine
One teaspoon horseradish sauce
Quarter pt water
One chicken stock cube
Oil to fry chicken
Salt and freshly ground black peppercorns to season

Method:
* Slice the chicken and toss it in seasoned flour.
* Remove foliage from radishes, wash, trim and cut into four.
* Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large saucepan, when it has reached full heat toss in the chicken slices and allow to fry until they begin to brown.
* Add radishes to the pan and stir for a few moments, then add the garlic, chopped onion and parsley and cook for at least three minutes, until the radishes begin to soften.
* Toss in the chopped parsley and the stock cube, and the horseradish sauce, then pour at least a quarter of a pint of water into the pan and stir well.
* Allow to bubble for a moment or two, taste, adjust seasoning, adding a little more horseradish if you wish, then throw in the spinach leaves, place a lid on the pan and turn off the heat.
* Leave for a moment, until the spinach leaves begin to soften and serve with rice of your choice.

Talking of allotments ...

Does anyone recall Reginald Clarke? This archive image shows him with a giant cabbage on Eynsham allotments in 1954 - spotted in the Letters page of the Daily Telegraph on 1 May 2008.

More information welcome - do get in touch!
Email: eynsham-online@hotmail.co.uk
Web: www.eynsham.org.uk