Asparagus time
When it comes to asparagus, I think simple is best. This way of thinking could probably be applied to most things in life, but I’m not wise enough to make such a sweeping statement. So I’ll stick to asparagus.
The fleeting season is now underway and there are countless ways to make the most of it but the ones I’m most interested in are those which involve lots of butter and little else. Like I said, I think simple is best.
The recipe below calls for 5 ingredients and takes about 5 minutes. In short, you melt a hefty pat of butter and allow it to splutter over a fairly gentle heat for a few minutes. The spluttering will subside, the pan will go quiet, the milk solids will brown and your kitchen will smell like digestive biscuits. In goes the za’atar, the butter will immediately foam and the za’atar will bloom. As this happens, you briefly cook the asparagus in salted water, drain then lay the spears over a swoosh of thick greek yoghurt. Spoon over the butter, squeeze over a little lemon juice and finish with flaky sea salt. Crusty bread or fluffy flatbread for mopping, if you like. Done. Simple.
Asparagus with za’atar brown butter
Serves 2 as a “light lunch” sort-of-situation or 4 as a side
250g asparagus
75g butter
2 tsp za’atar
100g thick greek yoghurt
1 lemon
Cut the butter into small-ish chunks then put in a small saucepan (preferably one with a lighter coloured interior so that you can watch the browning process more easily) over a medium-low heat. Cook, swirling the pan every so often, for about 4-5 minutes. At first the butter will foam and sputter, then it will die down and the milk solids will brown (once the pan goes quiet, watch it carefully as the butter can go from browned to burnt quickly). As soon as the solids have browned and it smells like digestive biscuits, immediately remove from the heat, add the za’atar and swirl the pan again.
Meanwhile*, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and snap off any woody stems from the asparagus. Cook the asparagus in the salted water for about 2-4 minutes until just tender (the timing will depend hugely on the freshness and thickness of the spears so test one to be sure) then drain.
Lay the asparagus spears over a swoosh of yoghurt, spoon over the butter, squeeze over a little lemon juice and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
*If the juggling act of browning the butter at the same time as cooking the asparagus doesn’t appeal, by all means do the butter first, set it aside in a warm spot then cook the asparagus.
Bits & bobs
My favourite za’atar for the job
Another “simple is best” asparagus approach
And another highlight of May
Although I’m often wary of “best of” lists (take with a pinch of salt yadee yada), I enjoyed scrolling through this comprehensive list of the UK’s best bakeries