Spring is upon us and one of the most commonly eaten vegetable in many parts of the world is now available at local farmers' markets and grocery stores.
Asparagus is one of those vegetables that allows for experimentation and is known for its unique and savoury taste.
Jenny Kay has created four recipes with the use of asparagus to accommodate a variety of flavours and styles of cooking.
Recipe number 1 is below:
Ingredients:
- 1 roll prepared shortcrust pastry
- 50g butter
- 3 leeks, thinly sliced
- 10ml chopped garlic
- 150g cleaned spinach, chopped
- 150g feta cheese, crumbled
- 100g cheddar cheese, grated
- 150g thin asparagus spears, blanched
- 250ml cream
- 4 eggs, beaten
1. Roll out the pastry and line a 15cm loose bottom quiche tin.
2. Bake the pastry blind.
3. Remove and cool.
4. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the leeks and garlic over a medium heat until soft.
5. Add the spinach and fry until wilted.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the feta cheese.
7. Reserve a few asparagus spears for decoration and chop the remainder.
8. Add to the leek mixture.
9. Sprinkle the pastry base with the cheddar cheese.
10. Top with the asparagus and spinach mixture.
11. Beat together the cream and eggs and season well.
12. Pour this mixture over the filling and bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until set and golden brown.