Recipes

Chosen from Maze by Jason Atherton, this asparagus recipe is great for when you've had it every other way, poached, steamed, stirred into pasta....

Serves 4

    2 bunches of English asparagus, about 500g in total
    Sea salt and black pepper
    8 long bay leaves
    8 long thyme sprigs
    30g butter, chilled and thinly sliced

For the Vinaigrette

    1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed and finely chopped
    3cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
    1 tbsp lemon verbena tea leaves
    Finely pared zest of 1 lemon
    2 tbsp lemon juice
    75ml strong black tea, strainted
    1 tbsp chardonnay vinegar or other white wine vinegar
    1 tbsp caster sugar
    Pinch of sea salt
    4 tbsp olive oil

Method

For the asparagus, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and have ready a bowl of iced water on the side. Meanwhile, trim the woody bases of the spears and peel the lower ends of the stalks. Add to the boiling salted water and blanch for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Immediately refresh the asparagus in the iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Cut the bay leaves into skinny strips. Use a small sharp knife to make four slits at even intervals along the length of each asparagus spear. Thread the slits with strips of bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Heat the grill to the highest setting.

For the vinaigrette, put all the ingredients into a pan and bring to a simmer, then immediately take off the heat and pour into a small teapot or jug.

Scatter the remaining bay leaf strips on a large baking sheet and place the threaded asparagus spears on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with the sliced butter and grill for 5-6 minutes. Transfer to warm serving plates, strain the dressing over the grilled asparagus and serve immediately.