Tag: asparagus

Wild garlic mayonnaise

Published on by Hanna5 Comments

On Friday we had a simple dinner consisting of salad, tigerprawns, bread, nice Swedish cheese (gräddost) and the main act – wild garlic mayo.

I had some wild garlic left that I needed to use up and although I knew I wouldn’t be able to re-create the amazing wild garlic mayo I had at Trinity, I still had to give it a go. And it was delicious! Of course not playing in the same league as Trinity but for being homemade on the first attempt, it was pretty awesome! Especially the next day when the flavours had evolved even more.

Because of this lovely mayo we enjoyed the same starter both Saturday and Sunday (and I would happily eat it once a day for the rest of my life); green asparagus with wild garlic mayo, parmesan, extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Delicious!

Wild garlic mayonnaise

6-7 wild garlic leaves

200 ml vegetable oil, maybe more

2 egg yolks

1,5 tsp dijon mustard

salt

white pepper

Mix the oil with the wild garlic until you have a smooth green oil. In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks, mustard abd seasoning. Start whisking with an electric whisk while adding the green oil bit by bit. If you want the mayonnaise to be even thicker, add plain oil while whisking. I noticed that the mayonnaise was slightly thinner the next da.

Asparagus with wild garlic mayonnaise and parmesan, serves 2

8 sparagus stems

wild garlic mayonnaise

parmigiano reggiano or other matured parmesan

extra virgin olive oil

Maldon sea salt

Break the ends of the asparagus, where it breaks naturally. Steam in salted water for 4-5 minutes. Drain. Place a large dollop of mayonnaise on each plate. Place the asparagus next to it, add shavings of parmesan, drizzle some olive oil and add a pinch of sea salt. Serve with crusty bread or as it is. 

Chicken thighs with asparagus couscous

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

I know that a lot of people prefer the fillets when they buy chicken, but I have always prefered the darker meat. Which was perfect at home when I grew up. If he had a whole roast chicken, my dad would have the breasts and my mother and I the darker meats like thighs, wings and drumsticks.

Chicken breast is good for ceratain dishes, but it feels like people in general have forgotten about the other cuts. A shame… But good for me I guess. My favourite part of the chicken is the thighs, and they are really cheap in comparison. And juicier (it is almost impossible to end up with dry thighs) and it also has more flavours.

Last week we had this really nice, but oh so easy to make, dish for supper. Fried marinated chicken thighs with a delicious couscous salad, containing marinated red onions and fried asparagus, served with sweet chili creme fraiche (it goes so well with chicken).

Chicken thighs with asparagus couscous, serves 2

4 chicken thighs

4 tbsp garlic marinade (I used a store bought one)

300 ml vegetable stock (boiling water + concentrated stock)

couscous

a bunch of asparagus

1 red onion

1 lime, the juice

olive oil

rocket

creme fraiche

sweet chilli sauce

Pour the marinade in a ziplock bag and add the chicken. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. Fry the chicken on high heat to brown, then transfer to a roasting tray and fry in the oven. 200C ,20 minutes.

Pour the hot stock into a bowl. Add enough coucous to nearly soak up all the water. Add some olive oil. Wait for a minute. Mix with a fork.

Cut the onion in half and slice thinly. Place in a bowl, add lime juice (or lemon) and some olive oil. Leave until everything is ready.

Break the ends off the asparagus, cut into small pieces, diagonally, and fry until soft in olive oil on medium heat. Re-use the pan used for frying the chicken.

Mix creme fraiche with as much sweet chilli sauce as you prefer, add salt.

Take out the chicken from the oven and let it rest while you finish off the salad. Mix the couscous with the asparagus, onion and the marinade for the onion. Put it on a large plate and add rocket. Serve with the chicken and the sauce. 

Asparagus and wild garlic quiche

Published on by Hanna3 Comments

I am one of those people that are cold all the time. Weird I know, since I am from a cold country… I have certainly heard that before. Why I am so cold, I don’t know, but when I don’t move about I get cold straight away. And that is why I am no fan of winter. Here in the UK it’s ok, but the windy winters in southern Sweden are awful.

Now that spring is here and it is getting warmer, I am incredibly happy. I love spring and summer! Apart from pollen but everything else is great. The warmth from the sun, flowers in bloom and all the fresh vegetables.

In this quiche I have combined two of my favourite spring time veg – asparagus and wild garlic. Feel free to use even more wild garlic, I will do that next time. I served the quiche as a light supper with coldsmoked salmon and a cold sauce with creme fraiche, mayonnaise, caviar and dill. Lovely!

Asparagus quiche with wild garlic, 6 portioner

Pastry:

120 g softened butter

300 ml plain flour

1/2 beaten egg

Filling:

2 bunches asparagus

about 6 wild garlic leaves (or more)

100 g philadelphia cheese

3 eggs + the leftover half from the pastry

350 ml milk

salt

white pepper

100 ml grated cheese

Bring salted water to the boil. First blanch the wild garlic, which is very quick, just leave for a minute and then drain on paper. Break the harder part off each asparagus stem and blanch them for about 5 minutes. Drain and leave to cool. Pinch the pastry together and coat a pie dish with it. Use a fork to make small holes in the pastry. Pre-bake it for 10 minutes in 200C. Leave to cool.

Fill the quiche with asparagus and wild garlic, and distribute dollops of philadelphia. Sprinkle over the grated cheese. Beat eggs and milk, add seasoning. Pour it into the quiche and press down the cheese so it is covered with the milk-mixture. Bake for 35 minutes, 200C or until set and golden brown on top.