Asparagus With Watercress Sauce Food

SEA TROUT & BUCKWHEAT SALAD WITH WATERCRESS & ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a roasting tin with foil and put the trout fillets in it, skin-side down. Rub with a little olive oil, sprinkle over the chilli flakes, season and top with the parsley. Add half the lemon, then cover the tin with foil and roast for 12-15 mins until the fish is opaque and flaking. Remove from the oven and leave to rest.
• Put the buckwheat in a pan, cover with 300ml water, add a pinch of salt and a bay leaf and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum, reduce the heat and simmer for 8 mins. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid or plate, and leave to puff up for another 10 mins.
• Put the red onion in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and squeeze over the remaining lemon. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the asparagus for 2-3 mins until a knife goes in easily. Drain and set aside.
• Once the buckwheat has absorbed the water, tip into a sieve and rinse. While it's still warm, tip into the bowl with the onion, and add the herbs and watercress. Flake in the trout, then squeeze over the juice from the roasted lemon half and add 2 tbsp of the olive oil and season. Whisk the remaining olive oil with the crème fraîche, honey and more seasoning. Divide between plates, drizzle with the dressing and top with the asparagus and toasted pumpkin seeds.

ASPARAGUS CRESS SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter 3-4 minutes or until soft. Stir in flour to form a smooth paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in broth and bring to a boil. Add asparagus and watercress; cover and simmer 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Cool. , In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return all to pan; stir in cream. Heat on low until cooked through (do not boil). Season with the salt, white pepper and cayenne. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

ASPARAGUS SOUP WITH SUMAC AND WATERCRESS

Steps:

• For the soup base: Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. When the butter is bubbling and frothy, add the shallot and the celery and cook for 2 minutes. Add the diced potato, thyme, bay leaf, and stock. Turn the heat to high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
• Finish the soup: While the soup base simmers, snap the woody ends off the asparagus, about 2 inches from the root end. Discard those ends and cut the remaining spears into 1-inch long pieces. Add the cut asparagus to the pot, cover, and cook for 4 more minutes. Add the watercress, tahini, cream, salt, and sumac. Remove (and discard) the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and remove from heat. Carefully pour the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Ladle into soup bowls.
• Garnish the soup: Garnish the soup with feta, potato chips, scallions, aleppo pepper, olive oil, and serve.

ROASTED COD WITH EASY WATERCRESS SAUCE & ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Smear the skin of the cod with the butter and season with sea salt. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan. When very hot add the cod, skin side down, and fry, without moving the fish, until the skin is crisp and golden. Invert on to a shallow ovenproof dish, ready to finish it off in the oven.
• Put the cherry tomatoes in a separate shallow ovenproof dish and drizzle with another 1 tbsp oil.
• To make the sauce, cook the shallots and wine in a small pan for about 2-3 minutes until the wine has almost gone. Tip into a food processor with the crème fraîche and watercress, season with salt and pepper and blitz. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste, return to the pan and set aside. Lightly whip the cream until it just holds its shape. (At this stage the cod, sauce and cream can be kept in the fridge, lightly covered with cling film, for up to 4 hours.)
• About 20 minutes before you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to fan 170C/conventional 190C/gas 5. Roast the cod and tomatoes for 12-15 minutes until just cooked. Meanwhile, gently reheat the sauce, remove from the heat and fold in the cream. Taste and add more seasoning and lemon juice if necessary. Set the cod on warm dinner plates with the cherry tomatoes and spoonfuls of watercress sauce. Garnish with sprigs of parsley or chervil and serve with buttered new potatoes.

WARM CHICKEN SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS AND CREAMY DILL DRESSING

Steps:

• Set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with about 1" salted water. Cover pot and bring water to a boil. Add potatoes, cover, and steam until just tender, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut breast meat from chicken, remove and discard skin, and slice on the bias into 1/2" slices. Remove legs from carcass, remove and discard skin, and slice meat off bones into 1/2" slices.
• Whisk mayonnaise, dill, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a medium bowl.
• Add asparagus and chicken slices to potatoes in steamer, cover, and steam until asparagus is crisp-tender and chicken is warmed through, about 3 minutes. Transfer potatoes, asparagus, and chicken to a platter or plates and drizzle with dressing. Top with watercress and mint and serve with lemon wedges alongside.

ASPARAGUS WITH GOAT CHEESE AND HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, mustard, vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth and emulsified.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Sprinkle generously with salt. Add the asparagus to the water and, depending on the size of the asparagus, blanch for 3 to 5 minutes. It should still have some bite left to it. Add the warm asparagus to the dressing and toss well to coat.
• Fan the asparagus out on a platter and sprinkle with the mizuna. Scatter the hazelnuts and goat cheese on top and drizzle with any dressing that may remain in the bowl.

PARMESAN-CRUSTED CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS WITH SAUCE MALTAISE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F. Butter large rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons butter. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in small saucepan and set aside. Whisk eggs and mustard in bowl to blend. Mix panko, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then panko mixture, coating generously. Place on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle reserved melted butter over chicken. Bake chicken until browned and cooked through, turning once, about 10 minutes.
• Garnish chicken with watercress; serve with Asparagus with Sauce Maltaise.
• *Available in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at Asian markets.

STEAMED ASPARAGUS WITH HERB SAUCE

Steps:

• Wash the asparagus carefully and gently scrape them to remove all trace of soil. Tie together, according to size, with string. Put the asparagus into two inches of boiling, salted water. Cook, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, according to size; the asparagus should remain al dente. Drain and put into cold water briefly to cool rapidly and to maintain color. Drain on paper towels, then place on a round platter, tips toward the center.
• Prepare a sauce with the remaining ingredients. Place all the herbs except for the additional watercress in a blender, add the salt and pepper, and blend for a second. Add the lemon juice and then the oil in a trickle to the blender on low speed. Pour the sauce over the cooled asparagus. Garnish with the reserved watercress. Serve at room temperature.

ASPARAGUS POTATO AND WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Over medium heat, sweat the shallots and garlic in butter in a pot.
• Once the shallots are translucent add the potato, asparagus and tarragon.
• After a minute, add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
• Once the asparagus and potatoes are cooked through (timing will depend on size of pieces), puree in a blender and pass through a fine strainer.
• Place back in pot and bring to a boil.
• Since watercress is a little bitter, I suggest you add it gradually- puree& taste.
• Repeat until it suits you.
• Add the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with chervil.

ASPARAGUS AND WATERCRESS PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in lower third. Toss together asparagus, onion, and 1 tablespoon oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil. Using your hands, gently stretch dough from all sides to approximate size of baking sheet. Place dough on baking sheet, stretching and fitting it to edges of sheet.
• Brush dough with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then spread with ricotta, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with asparagus mixture; sprinkle with mozzarella.
• Bake until crust is golden brown and asparagus is tender, about 20 minutes. Top with watercress, season with salt, and sprinkle with pepper flakes. Cut into pieces and serve.

ASPARAGUS AND WATERCRESS, STIR-FRIED

Steps:

• Snap off the ends of the asparagus where they break naturally, then cut them into slices one-half inch thick sharply at an angle.
• Rinse and drain the watercress and trim off any heavy stems. Separate the watercress into branches.
• Shortly before serving time, heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the asparagus and stir-fry them two to three minutes until they begin to lose their rawness and turn bright green. Sprinkle them with sugar.
• Add the watercress and stir-fry until the watercress wilts. Season with salt. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot or at room temperature.