There’s little more delicious than British grown asparagus – but we have to be quick because in the blink of an eye the season is over!
It’s National Asparagus Day on April 23, and there are lots of tasty ways to celebrate this seasonal star.
Asparagus not only tastes great - either as a side dish or the main event - but it is also a great source of fibre and vitamins.
You can find green, purple and white asparagus, and the spears should be firm but tender with good colour and closed tips.
Before cooking, gently bend and snap the stalks where they want to break naturally. This removes the woody ends and leaves you with the tender, flavourful tips.
Asparagus can be steamed, oven roasted, boiled or pan fried – but one of the best ways to eat it is to pair with a softly boiled duck egg for a grown up, sophisticated version of eggs and soldiers!
Soft boiled duck eggs with bacon and asparagus soldiers – BBC Good Food
Ingredients
8 asparagus spears (about 300g), woody ends discarded
4 long thin slices rustic bread (preferably sourdough)
8 rashers smoked streaky bacon or pancetta
4 duck eggs
Method
Heat your grill to high. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus spears and discard. Cut the bread into 12 soldiers, a little shorter than the asparagus.
Place a spear onto each soldier and wrap tightly with a rasher of bacon. Place on a baking tray, season and grill for 15 mins or until the bacon is crisp.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and simmer the duck eggs for about 7 mins, to get a runny yolk and a cooked white.
Serve immediately with the warm soldiers for dipping.
