Indulge in Asparagus! By Jackie Phillips of Real Island Food

There’s a word that sums up asparagus, and that’s ‘tantalizing’, as it graces our dining table with it’s presence for a few short but precious weeks each year, and indulges our taste buds in an often sought after, but rarely achieved pleasure.

Combine asparagus spears with a knob of (real!) butter and a grind of sea salt and black pepper, with a shaving of parmesan, or with the traditional hollandaise and you have a simple, but most exquisite seasonal delicacy.

We are exceptionally lucky on the Island to have some of the best UK producers of asparagus, which means we can enjoy it at it’s best; within days or even hours of picking.

To prepare asparagus simply remove the bottom, woody part of the stalk by snapping off the base. With fresh asparagus this should be a simple, clean snap – with no knives or lengthy peeling required. It also means that you don’t waste any of the tender stalk!

Wash the stalks in cold water and steam for 3 – 6 minutes. If you can steam them with the tips standing up, (in an asparagus steamer) then so much the better as ideally, the delicate tips should cook more slowly than the stalks.

It is thought that asparagus is a member of the lily family and was first cultivated, as a cure for tooth ache!, by the Ancient Greeks over 2500 years ago. Thankfully , it is now prized for the sheer joy of eating, and is widely grown in Europe, North America and China. It’s tantalizing nature extends to it’s growing habits too, with a time period of three years from seed to crop. Once mature however, and in the right conditions, an asparagus spear can grow 25 cm in one day.

Temperamental, but with a hint of genius, don’t miss the asparagus exhibition.

For recipe information and home delivery of freshly picked Island asparagus visit www.realislandfood.co.uk. Also available at The Garlic Farm, Newchurch.

Find out more about the Real Island Food Company here