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Recipe inspiration: 10 things to

10 things to do with Isle of Wight asparagus

Recipe inspiration to keep your breakfasts light, your brunch game strong, your lunches decadent and your dinners a treat

1. Simply steamed

No need to over-complicate: asparagus can stand on its own. Early season asparagus is tender enough to enjoy steamed for 5 minutes, adorned only with a knob of butter and the tiniest sprinkling of Isle of Wight sea salt.

2. Breakfast asparagus 3. Soup for summer souls

When local asparagus is this plentiful, why wait until lunch? Asparagus is the perfect pairing for eggs: sunny, scrambled, dippy or poached. Asparagus soup tastes like liquid gold, but green. High in fibre and anti-inflammatory nutrients, whizz up with a shallot base to a smooth soulful bowl of heaven.

4. Fired, flamed, fabulous

It’s no coincidence that asparagus season starts at the same time as BBQ season. Go rustic and grill sand-side with freshly caught mackerel and a squeeze of lemon. Island living at its finest.

5. Easy peasy Caprese

Swap traditional basil for Isle of Wight asparagus for a local take on this classic Italian salad. Pair with Isle of Wight tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella and season generously with Sicilian Olive Oil handpicked and pressed from the olive groves of Caffe Isola’s Viviana’s parents, and Wild Island spiced fig balsamic dressing.

6. Tasty pasta

7. Square parcels

Whatever your personal pasta inclination – from fresh and fragrant to rich and creamy – asparagus will raise your rigatoni and add colour to your carbonara.

This asparagus and chive tart is as pretty as a picture, and can be neatly sliced into satisfyingly symmetrical squares and wrapped up for lunch-on-the-go.

8. Picnic perfection

The possibilities are endless; from pizza toppings to puff pastry pick-me-ups, any picnic that involves asparagus is already a pretty perfect one – whatever the weather.

9. Summer twins

Asparagus and strawberries (we love new, smallscale growers at Freshwater Bay strawberries) were made for each other. Early summer risotto is an Al Fresco delight: stir delicate diagonally-sliced spears through your favourite Arborio base and top with plenty of Farmer Jack’s parmesan.

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