Читать книгу Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me: A chef’s stories and recipes from the land - Denis Cotter - Страница 37

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut each spear in three, then bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and drop the asparagus into boiling water to cook for 1 minute. Cool under cold running water briefly, then drain well.

Pull off the outer leaves of the artichokes until only the paler, less green flesh is visible. Cut the leaves across below the tops. Trim the stalk with a knife and discard the tough outer skin to reveal the tender edible part at the centre. Cut the artichokes into quarters and scoop out any hairy choke. Drop the artichoke quarters into water with a little of the lemon juice. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the artichoke pieces and cook for 5-7 minutes until just tender. Cool briefly under cold running water and drain well.

Serves 4
16 medium-sized asparagus spears
4 small artichokes
juice of 1 lemon
12-16 quail eggs
juice of 1/2 orange
finely grated zest of 1 orange
200ml(7floz) olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
salt and pepper
200g(7oz) rocket

Cook the quail eggs by dropping them into boiling water for just 1 minute, then cool them in a bowl of cold water. Peel the eggs carefully – the yolks should still be soft.

Make a dressing by whisking or shaking together the orange and remaining lemon juice, the orange zest and the olive oil.

Toss the asparagus and artichokes together with the chives and enough dressing to coat the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Place some rocket on four plates and share out half of the vegetables on top. Scatter on some more rocket and top with the rest of the vegetables. Cut the tops off the eggs, and tuck them into the salads. Drizzle some more of the dressing over and around the salad.