May recipe: Asparagus quiche

Asparagus comes into season in May.  Not only is asparagus a sublime vegetable when lightly boiled or steamed, it can also be used as the basis for other dishes, such as this colourful quiche.

You can vary the herbs and vegetables according to taste and availability, or add a rasher or two of chopped bacon (fry it along with the onion) if wished.  The quiche goes well with bread and a green salad on a hot day, or with new potatoes and salad or vegetables (more asparagus?), as you choose.

This quantity should serve four.

Asparagus quiche

For the shortcrust pastry:

4 oz (approx 100 g) plain flour

1 oz (approx 25 g) butter

1 oz (approx 25 g) lard

For the filling:

Half a small onion, or 3-4 spring onions

4-6 oz (approx 100 – 150 g) asparagus spears

One red pepper

2 oz (approx 50 g) mushrooms (optional)

3 oz (approx 75 g) cheese

Approx 1 Tablespoon (1 x 15 ml spoon) fresh parsley or oregano (or 1 teaspoon [1 x 5ml spoon] dried)

1 egg

5 fl oz (approx 140 ml) milk

To make the pastry:

Grease a flan dish approximately 7 inches (approx 18 cm) diameter.

Rub the butter and lard into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Gradually add cold water to mix to a soft dough. If it is floury, you need a little more water, if it is sticky, you have added too much water and need to add a bit more flour.  Or you can use ready-made pastry if you prefer.

Roll out the pastry to a circle big enough to line the greased flan tin.  Line the flan tin with the pastry and trim off any surplus.

To make the filling:

Peel and chop the onion.  Remove the seeds from the red pepper and cut into dice about half an inch (approx 1 cm) square.  Peel and slice the mushrooms, if using.  Wash and chop the fresh herbs.

Grate the cheese.

Wash the asparagus.  Cut the top 3 inches or so off each spear and set aside.  Slice the remaining asparagus stalks.

Fry the chopped onion in cooking oil over a medium heat for a few minutes until softened. Add the sliced asparagus stalks, diced red pepper and sliced mushrooms (if using) and continue frying for a few more minutes until the vegetables are softened and starting to colour.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the vegetables evenly in the bottom of the flan case. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top.

Arrange the reserved asparagus tips in an attractive pattern on the top of the flan, like the spokes on a wheel (or any other pattern you choose).

Beat the egg into the milk, and pour the mixture into the flan case.

Bake in a moderately hot oven, about 180 C, for about 25 – 30 minutes until the filling is set and golden.

Serve hot, warm or cold with bread or new potatoes and a salad or vegetables of your choice.

The quiche will keep in the fridge for a day or two, or can be frozen.

May recipe: Plaice rolls with asparagus

Asparagus has been used in the kitchen at least since the 3rd century AD, when the Roman writer Apicius included it in his cookbook. Apparently it’s the source of the name of the amino acid asparagine. I never knew that, even though I used to be able to draw asparagine's chemical structure; there are some things they don’t cover in biochemistry courses.

May is the height of the asparagus season in Britain. We have a row in the garden, nicely mature now after being planted about 10 years ago, and as asparagus spears can grow at an amazing rate when the weather is warm, we have rather a lot of it at this time of year. Luckily there never seems to be a problem eating it all. I particularly like asparagus with delicate dishes, such as fish, omelettes and quiches. Here’s one fish dish that goes very well with asparagus and the first of the season’s Jersey new potatoes. If you don’t like or can’t get asparagus, substitute another vegetable of your choice or a green side salad. I imagine the rolls would work equally well with any thin white fish fillets, though I always use plaice.

Plaice rolls (serves 2)

2 plaice fillets
2-3 oz (approx 50-75 g) mushrooms
2 large spring onions
1 tablespoon (1 x 15 ml spoon) chopped fresh herbs of your choice, e.g. parsley, chervil, chives, tarragon (or dried herbs if fresh herbs aren’t available)

For the cheese sauce:
0.5 oz (approx 15 g) butter
0.5 tablespoon (0.5 x 15 ml spoon) flour
5 fluid oz (0.25 pint, or approx 140 ml) milk
1 oz cheese, grated, crumbled or chopped into small pieces. The only requirement is that it should melt in a reasonable time. I generally use an inexpensive medium Cheddar, but any hard or semi-hard cheese of your choice will do.

Chop the mushrooms and spring onions.
Fry gently in butter until softened.
Remove from the heat, stir in the herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spread half the mushroom and onion mixture on each plaice fillet, and roll each fillet up like a Swiss roll.
Put the plaice rolls in a buttered ovenproof dish.

To make the sauce:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
Remove from the heat and stir in the flour.
Gradually blend in the milk a little at a time, stirring thoroughly after each addition to remove the lumps. (Despite the dire warnings of school cookery teachers, a few lumps aren’t the end of the world, so don’t worry if your sauce isn’t perfectly smooth. As long as you don’t slosh in all the milk at once it should work well enough).
Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. The sauce will thicken as it starts to boil. Reduce the heat, stir in the grated cheese, and simmer for a minute or so until the cheese has melted. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the cheese sauce over the plaice rolls.
Bake in a moderately hot oven, about 180 C, for 25-30 minutes until the plaice is cooked and the sauce is bubbling and just starting to brown.
Serve with asparagus (or other vegetable of your choice) or salad, and new potatoes or rice.