The Messy Vegetarian Cook » asparagus

Dairy Free “Cream” of Asparagus Soup

Kip — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:36:42 +0000

When I was five my parents moved the family from a cookie cutter 3 bed/2.5 bath home to a custom built house on land gifted to my father by my grandparents. The land was mainly forest, with a few acres dedicated to growing fruit and vegetables.

My parents and grandpa continued to use the small farm area for several years, but slowly the crops disappeared and the land was left with nothing but remnants of old growth. Today the grapevines still line the back of the field, along with a blueberry bush or two, and that’s about it.

One of the last veggies to go was the asparagus, which grew in a small seemingly random patch of land in the centre (next to the water trough I spent many a summer afternoon swimming in as a child- until the frogs came in and took it as their tadpole spawning ground). I had a love-hate relationship with the asparagus; one year I’d love it and the next I thought it was the grossest thing to ever come from the earth.

I’ve since moved to Britain and have grown up to love asparagus. Its season here is super short, so I think that helps me to appreciate it even more. This is a really simple asparagus recipe, which is how I think asparagus should be enjoyed. Traditionally cream is used but as this is a vegan cream of asparagus soup recipe the milk is omitted and cashews are used instead.

Non-Dairy Cream of Asparagus Soup

makes 2 servings

Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 70 g (1/2 cup) chopped onion
- 25 g (scant 1/4 cup) chopped celery
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
- 250 g asparagus, roughly chopped
- 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable broth
- 100 ml (1/4 cup + 3 tbsp) white wine
- 30 g (3 tbsp) cashews
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt
- 100 ml almond milk (or soy)
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh lemon juice
- White pepper and chopped chives, for garnish

Directions/Method
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan to medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and thyme. Cook for a couple of minutes, or until the onions are slightly translucent. Add the chopped asparagus and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
2. Pour the wine and stock into the pan and chuck the cashews and salt in as well (start with 1/4 tsp and add more to taste). Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Pour the liquid into a blender with the lemon juice and almond milk. Blend until smooth.
4. Serve warm with white pepper and chopped chives sprinked on top.

Sesame Mushroom Asparagus Udon Recipe

Kip — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:04:20 +0000

It’s hard to avoid beginning too many posts with “I love …” because, well, why would I cook stuff I don’t like and then tell you to eat it? The thing is, I really, really love noodles. Noodles are not only my homeboy, but they are also a biological requirement for my diet. That is, if I don’t have them often, I will cry. Udon, a thick wheat noodle popular in Japan, are one of my favourite types, and they go perfectly with a simple vegan dashi broth like in the recipe below.

Recipe Notes

Not surprisingly, this isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about an udon noodle recipe. This is similar in basic ingredients, but packs a little more flavour in with the additional vegetables and toasted sesame seeds.

If you don’t have toasted sesame seeds and don’t know how to make them, it’s easy! Just heat a large pan over medium heat and dry fry sesame seeds for a few minutes, shaking the pan often to ensure they toast evenly.

Mushroom and Asparagus Udon Noodles

Serves two

Ingredients
- 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp mirin
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp groundnut (peanut) oil
- udon noodles for two
- 2 large open cap mushrooms (field or portobello are fine)
- 125g asparagus tips
- 1 small onion, halved and sliced
- toasted sesame seeds
- chives and/or spring onions
- pickled ginger, sliced into thin lengths

Directions/Method
1. Place the dried shiitake mushrooms in a small saucepan over low heat. Pour the boiling water over and leave for 20-30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, pressing as much liquid out as possible, and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Once cooled, trim the stem off, slice the caps, and place them back in the broth. Add the soy sauce, mirin, and salt.
2. Prepare your noodles per the package instructions.
3. Heat a wok to a high temperature and add the oil. Stir fry the onion and asparagus for 3-4 minutes. I tend to steam the fresh mushroom, but if you’d rather omit this step you can chuck them in the wok, too.
4. To serve, place the noodles on a plate with a curved lip, or in a bowl, alongside the steamed mushrooms and stir fried vegetables. Pour the dashi broth over the noodles and garnish with slivers of pickled ginger, toasted sesame seeds, and spring onions or chives. Sprinkle with a little bit of sesame oil for added flavour.

Sesame-Ginger Spring Asparagus en Croute

Kip — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:47:05 +0000

Without a doubt I am a summer-loving individual. I loathe the achy cold and bloom into a somewhat pleasant human being when the sun’s shining and, most important, the season’s offerings come to fruit. Jersey Royals, spinach, broad beans, the beginnings of tomatoes, asparagus, and more. Food-wise this is my favourite time of year to be alive, and feeling alive is just what I need after a long and dark English winter.

As a child my parents grew asparagus and like my own personal marmite advertising campaign, I recall going through very defined and specific periods of loving and hating it. I think my body has always craved greens but perhaps my mind was not in tune enough to accept that fact! I can say without a doubt that now, like marmite, I have come around to love this green shoot.

Recipe Notes

These are great hot, but equally good cold, and can be served either on their own or with a nice grain. The first time I made them I prepared a version of Susan’s Spring Green Quinoa (without as many veg and with a wine base) and it was a great combination. I have no doubt these these babies would make for some awesome picnic fodder.

The sushi ginger is optional, really, but it’s well worth adding a few slivers as it really complements the sesame and vinegar combination. No agave nectar? Just add a pinch of fine sugar instead.

Sesame-Ginger Spring Asparagus en Croute

Makes 6 pieces

Ingredients
- 2 sheets of 500mm x 240mm filo pastry
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp agave nectar
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil or melted butter/vegan spread
- A few slices of sushi ginger, sliced finely
- 6 Spears of green asparagus
- Salt, to taste

Directions/Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius.
2. Mix the sesame oil, vinegar, agave nectar, and garlic in a bowl large enough to accomodate the asparagus. Coat the vegetables all over and leave to marinate while you prepare the pastry.
3. Cut the pastry horizontally into thirds and brush with a good helping of the melted butter/oil. Roll one piece of asparagus into about 1/3 of the pastry before adding a few grains of salt, a few slivers of ginger, and a drop or ten of the leftover marinade. Continue to roll the pastry, ensuring it’s well brushed with butter. Once completely rolled, coat one final time with butter and place on an oven tray. Repeat process with remaining spears.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until crispy and lightly browned.
5. Drizzle any leftover marinade over the ends to serve, or leave on the side as an optional extra into which the spears can be dipped.

Roasted Asparagus Risotto

Kip — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:36:46 +0000

Risotto afficionados, it seems, are very precice and, for lack of better word, anal, about their creations. I’m pretty sure I break many rules in the book here, like not mixing the butter with the rice before serving. In most risottos, I would, but I don’t initially mix the butter in this recipe because it sits so well with the lemon and the asparagus; lemon and butter are an excellent combination for asparagus generally so why not let them be as one? If the timing is right, you’ll end up with a nice puddle of lemon and butter sitting on top of the rice, the asparagus happily soaking in this simple sauce.

Creamy Risotto with Roast Asparagus

Serves two

Risotto ingredients
- 1/2 onion, diced
- olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 225g risotto rice
- 1.5 litres homemade vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- vegan butter
- Avocado, diced (optional)

Roasted Asparagus ingredients
- 125g asparagus
- olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- sea salt
- pepper (optional)

Directions/Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200 C. In an oven proof dish drizzle the asparagus generously with olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes.
2. While the asparagus is roasting, you can make the risotto. Begin by frying the onion and garlic in olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan until soft. Add the risotto rice and fry for a minute.
3. Turn down the heat to a medium simmer. Add the stock 1 cup at a time, stirring often, allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15-20 minutes. How will you know if/when it’s done? Taste it! It’s like pasta in that you need to sample the goods to check the texture and consistency to see if it’s ready.
4. Remove from heat and split the risotto between two dishes. Add thin slices of non dairy butter on top of the rice (I used about 1 tablespoon each).
5. Remove the asparagus from the oven and place on top of the risotto. Sprinkle lemon juice over the asparagus.
6. If using, add avocado cubes.
7. Serve and enjoy!