Asparagus Tips

The British asparagus season which only lasts 8 weeks is well underway. Delicious, nutritious and healthy, what is there not to like?

The first tip is how to avoid the woody ends without loosing any of the delicious stems. Simply bend the asparagus close to the cut end and it will snap at the point where the stem starts to go stringy. You can now cook the vegetable knowing that everything that goes on the plate will be soft and succulent.

So what to do with the ends that you have removed?

·         Asparagus Soup

·         Asparagus Sauce

·         Asparagus Stock

·         Asparagus Mousse

Cook the ends and then blitz with a blender or food processor. If the ends are quite woody then pass the pulp through a sieve before adding to the other ingredients..

A little later in the year you can do the same with fresh pea pods.