As Spring arrives, Britain’s asparagus spears begin to surface, ready to be greeted with almost religious fervour on social media platforms. While the season doesn’t officially begin until late April, typically lasting until June, British asparagus seems to become available earlier each year. In addition to containing essential vitamins and health benefits, believed to help detoxify the body and increase libido, Asparagus is also delicious in a variety of recipes. Simply serve with hollandaise sauce and/or poached eggs, or raw, shaved and dressed with some olive oil and parmesan. Chef owner of The Black Swan, Roots and Made in Oldstead, Tommy Banks has also shared a recipe for asparagus with roasted Jerusalem artichoke and blue cheese, in celebration of asparagus season’s arrival.
At his restaurants, Tommy Banks utilises high quality produce, much of which is sourced from a tiny pocket of Yorkshire. In this recipe, the asparagus is quickly blistered under the grill and served with roasted Jerusalem artichokes, plus blue cheese for a whisper of acidity and pumpkin seeds to add textural depth.
On his asparagus with roasted Jerusalem artichoke and blue cheese recipe, Tommy Banks says: “This is such a delicious salad with loads of interesting stuff in there, rather than just a big pile of leaves. The flavour mixture is as if two seasons are colliding using the very last of the winter Jerusalems [artichokes] and the first of the asparagus. You have the wintery flavours of the smoky and sticky Artichokes and the acidic blue cheese mixed with the summery freshness of the asparagus. With the pumpkin seeds on there too it all works really nicely.”
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