bill granger's goats curd and lentil salad with roasted beetroot

sources
goats curd and lentil salad with roasted beetroot - Bill Granger, Bill's Sydney Food, p83

fregola with late-harvest asparagus, roast tomatoes and chorizo and angela boggiano's rich beef ragu

sources
fregola with late-harvest asparagus, roast tomatoes and chorizo - Delicious, September 2013, p54
rich beef ragu - Angela Boggiano, Delicious, March 2007, p51

bill granger's goats curd and lentil salad with roasted beetroot

With only one day to go before the Whanau return home, it's time to remove all evidence of bachelor living, so gone are the copies of Razzle, cans of Special Brew, Gingster's chicken and mushroom slice wrappers. I've also got to somehow deal with the asparagus, curd cheese and beetroot cluttering up the fridge.

If only there was a delicious and simple meal that also handily uses up these stereotypically manly ingredients. Oh!

sources
goats curd and lentil salad with roasted beetroot - Bill Granger, Bill's Sydney Food, p83

artichoke, asparagus, broad bean and almond pilaf

I'd like to say that one of the problems I have with attempting to eat seasonally whilst supporting UK farmers, is finding honest-to-goodness produce from Blighty. But that's not strictly true, because whilst happy to get all huffy that my asparagus comes from Ecuador rather than Evesham, I still buy it because it's seasonal, and conveniently ignore the fact it's had to fly here so I can buy it.

Sadly my issue is much more prosaic and not particularly ethical: Finding enough recipes to tackle the growing mountain of international asparagus logs building up in the fridge. For one reason or another, this year has been particularly ripe for killer angiosperm recipes, with last night's beetroot and lentil combination and Franco Mazzei's risotto being good cases in point. Tonight is another step in that direction, although to be perfectly honest, it's the not best asparagus dish I've come across.

Sadly, despite a fairly hefty list of ingredients, it's not a hugely flavour-packed meal. In fact it flirts with being a bit wishy-washy, with the strongest notes coming from the lemon juice and the oil from the artichoke oil. Oh well, onwards and upwards.

Wine Time
I'm not going to be surprising anybody I don't think when I suggest a green Sauv might be the way to go, for all the usual reasons of matching the herbaceous flavours of the asparagus as well as the lemon juice. However, let's go slightly off-beam and rather than New Zealand or the Loire, why not try a cheeky hombre from Chile? You might have to do some research to separate the tropical fruit bombs, from the nettle-y numbers you're looking for, but at half the price (generally) it's definitely worth asking some questions in the offie.

sources
artichoke, asparagus, broad bean and almond pilaf - Delicious, June 2013, p99

bill granger's goats curd and lentil salad with roasted beetroot

Holy shit - look at this:

I think I may have mentioned it at some point previously, but one of the many many benefits of helping out the K-Kats is the weekly chance to pore through her collection of cookery books, before getting all experimental on her time, with one eye on trying stuff out for home. Brucie bonus!

Today she gets to enjoy my very-own made-up mushroom risotto, handily using up her petrified fridge fungi in the process, enlivened with a wee nip of vermouth to help Rafe sleep. Tonight I get to enjoy this experimental salad culled from her copy of Bill Granger's Sydney Food, whilst Ana is lording up her literature knowledge at Book Club.

There's so much to love about this: the earthy lentils, sweet roast beetroot, asparagus, balsamic vinegar and creamy curd cheese. I think it's officially my favourite salad. Of 2013. It's also super, super easy, taking less than 10 minutes, if you discount the roasting time.

Now for message from our sponsors: Usually my balsamic needs are taken care of by Waitrose Essentials and/or the bottle that looks like a mini-jug, you know the one. Anyway, on offer recently was Belazu's Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Total. Game. Changer.

You think you know balsamic, but I've now discovered the Holy Grail of Modena, Plato's Perfect Form of vinegar if you will. It's thicker than usual, unctuous and honeyed, with a lovely rounded finish from being aged in oak barrels. I promise you, you will not go back once you've tried it.

In other sponsorship news, you will not believe how cheap curd cheese is. According to the lady on the cheese counter, I was the first person she can remember ever buying some. At 60p per 100g, I will be back, if only because I need something to go with the rest of the bunch of beetroot I've roasted.

Wine Time
There are a couple of the red herrings lurking in this recipe: asparagus and lentils. Usually these would be front and centre on the palate, dominating everything around them, but here they only provide background notes to the sweetness of beetroots and balsamic (did I mention you should get some Belazu Balsamic?) and the creamy curd cheese.

With this in mind I reckon what would go down a treat here are either a lovely New World Pinot Noir, which has low tannins and lots of lovely dark fruit flavours OR a good quality Alsatian Riesling, which again has the acidity to balance the claggy qualities of the cheese/lentils, and the necessary residual sugar for the beets/vinegar.

Two of my favourites there, so go wild and crazy.

sources
goats curd and lentil salad with roasted beetroot - Bill Granger, Bill's Sydney Food, p83

PS Asparagus AND Beetroot - I look forward to reporting back on the colour of my wee tomorrow.

PPS Asparagus now from Chile. What is this country coming to?

pasta with asparagus, mint pesto and poached egg

After last night's non-event due to Ana coming down with the lurgy, our ongoing experiment in family eating continues apace with an, in theory, Milo pleasing pasta/pesto combo. We've had it loads and loads, and with the exception of asparagus which we're working on, the parts are all staples of his diet. But will the sum add up to a Milo-friendly meal?

Luckily the trick with him is to let him 'help' as much as he wants, and if that help involves a certain amount of harvesting and blitzing to make the pesto, all the better.  He also likes stirring stuff, but that's a moot point tonight.

As I mentioned last time, it's definitely worth making your own pesto, particularly if you've got mint going crazy in the garden. Other than the asparagus, this was the one element of the dinner I thought would cause problems, but as it was more successful than I thought: He only had the one stem, but everything else was firmly wolfed.

You'll also be pleased to note we've finally managed to source some down-to-earth, common or garden, Heavens to Betsy British Asparagus. But we did have to go to Whole Foods in the Asparagus Triangle (try and see it from my angle) to do it.

Wine Time
As this is such a classic on the blog, I don't feel a huge need to wax lyrical again: A green, elderflowery Kiwi Sauv will tick all boxes

sources
pasta with asparagus, pesto and poached egg - Delicious, May 2005, p110 - now the Parsley Book

francesco mazzei's asparagus risotto

Out last night at a combined curry and Eurovision party no less, (yes Ana did win the sweep and yes, we did win the Eurovision quiz, thanks for asking), and planning to stuff ourselves with burgers tomorrow at the annual street party, tonight we're giving our taste buds - and livers - a leetle rest with another installment of Francesco Mazzei's asparagus risotto. And yes, we do have it with prosecco as per the recipe, well I did say leetle rest for our livers.

This time around I don't make the mistake of giving Milo any asparagus tips, just the rice and finely sliced stems, and we cross our fingers the prosecco works it's sleep-inducing magic on him, as he's massively, MASSIVELY over-excited about the party tomorrow, and is desperate to put up bunting.

Wine Time
No need to reinvent the wheel here, or at least I haven't drunk anything different since then that has changed my mind: Stick with a light Italian white with crisp acidity and some herbal notes, like a Soave or Gavi and you won't go wrong.

Actually scrub that, if you can find it a Roero Arneis from Piedmonte would be amazing, with it's balance of delicate floral fruits and salty, mineral qualities. Go find one and let me know what you think - I think it's my new favourite white.

sources

asparagus risotto - Francesco Mazzei, Delicious, May 2013, p76

francesco mazzei's asparagus risotto

I'm a recent convert to risotto, and whilst I've not attempted anything too fancy, I've finally got my head around the basics, and I embrace the stirring process rather than hate it. Wine also helps of course, as does a large quantity of parmesan, because if it goes wrong you can always just nuke it with cheese.

This new-found geekiness gets an extra fillip this week with the arrival of the new edition of Delicious, and Francesco Mazzei's prosecco-infused asparagus risotto therein. Prosecco right? Oh, and seasonal asparagus, because my wee doesn't smell enough, but mainly fizzy booze.

It's got quite a delicate flavour despite the parmesan; The fizz imparts a lovely floral quality whilst the asparagus brings in its own pungency, and the nutmeg and butter-fried tips are delicious in their own right. Even Milo eats it, being up late and doing his butter-wouldn't-melt act, although he draws the line at the tips.

Still, total winner and with the added benefit of increasing my risotto geekiness as Mazzei warms his rice first, which is worth a try next time I'm knocking one up.

Wine Time
Generally Sauvignon Blanc is a nailed-on contender with asparagus, but this isn't a full-on flavour bomb, so it needs something subtler to pair with it. Seeing as you used it in the cooking, Prosecco is an obviously good choice here, as would a good Soave or Gavi, whose herbal qualities and mouthwatering citrus notes would cut through the rice, whilst highlighting the flavours in the dish.

sources
asparagus risotto - Francesco Mazzei, Delicious, May 2013, p76

pasta with asparagus, mint pesto and poached egg

Despite carping on at great length yesterday about the asparagus in the supermarket coming from Chile rather than Albion's bejeweled shores, it doesn't stop me taking advantage of getting two bunches for the price of one. There's a great-looking  Angela Harnett recipe in the Guardian today, but it looks more starter-er than enough for dinner so we're fall back on a classic.

Strangely enough, despite all the years I've been making this I've never actually got round to doing the mint pesto until tonight, and do you know what? It's a total game changer: The zingy mint really cuts through the denseness of the pasta, whereas the shop bought basil-n-parmesan stuff is a bit too claggy. I buggered up the eggs though...

Wine Time
To be honest I'd stick with a herbaceous Kiwi sauv, particularly now we've thrown in the mint pesto plus the extra heft of the pasta needs cutting through in the same way as yesterday's salmon. This lark is easy eh?

sources
pasta with asparagus, pesto and poached egg - Delicious, May 2005, p110 - now the Parsley Book

pancetta-wrapped salmon with griddled asparagus and lime creme fraiche

Seasonal and summery, and finally it's the hottest day of the year so far! A day where I managed to get my first sunburn/tan on my run around Richmond Park this morning and following ride to Twickenham's glamorous Job Centre Plus. Who said being on the dole was bad? It's good for suntans and fitness!

I suppose a brief post-school run around the park probably helped as well, although luckily (or not) Milo decided it was so lovely and summery, he'd rather spend the evening sat in a sleeping bag on the sofa watching Captain America. Children, tsk!

Whilst he grouched about the weather, we got into the spirit of it all with a classic summery fish dish - pancetta-wrapped salmon and bang-on-season asparagus. Again.

Strangely, and I can't quite fathom why, this week it's infinitely less fishy than when we had exactly the same recipe as last week. Maybe getting the fishmonger to skin the fillets helped? Either way, it's a total winner tonight, and a great way to use up some sad-looking salad.

The asparagus launches me into whole world of middle-class fretting: We're slap-bang in British Asparagus season, so how come all the angiosperms in Waitrose are from Chile? Not that it makes much difference to my asparagus wee of course, it's I'd just like it to be good, honest British asparagus-smelling wee. It IS St George's Day after all!

Wine Time
I'm going to avoid all the usual St George's Day hoopla about English wine, mainly because fizz apart, it's generally awful. Instead we're heading down under because there's one grape that screams asparagus, as well as being crisp enough to nail the oily salmon: Kiwi Sauvignon. You want a grassy version rather than anything too tropical, so look for green notes rather than passion fruit, mango and Um Bongo and you won't go too wrong.

sources
pancetta-wrapped salmon with griddled asparagus and lime creme fraiche - Delicious, June 2010, p23

double fish-whammy

After a week on the glorious(ly wet) Isle of Wight we return home to a slightly-controversial fish double-whammy. I suspect we're still slightly delirious from the sea bream success the other day, so we temper our fishy appetite with two dishes we know we like.

First off, we have a hale and hearty lunch with classic Yummington warm tuna salad with white beans. Sadly no accompanying vino though. Well, it is only lunchtime and we've got an annoying five year-old who would rather watch - and explain whilst it's happening on TV - the storyline of Captain America.

We follow this up with a stab at seasonality with another classic, pancetta-wrapped salmon with griddled asparagus. Here's a question though, given we're supposed to be at the start of British Asparagus Season, how come all the angiosperms in Waitrose come from Chile?

I'm so outraged, I take an out-of-focus picture.

Fuzzy picture aside, I've discovered my newly-fashionable enamel baking tin is perfect for making this dish as it allows the asparagus to bake without drying out, and the salmon can sit on top and crisp up - aces!

sources
warm tuna and white bean salad - Delicious, October 2012, p27
pancetta-wrapped salmon with griddled asparagus and lime creme fraiche - Delicious, June 2010, p23

pancetta-wrapped salmon with griddled asparagus

I'm not sure four days of asparagus (five if you count two portions of Ottolenghi's salad for lunch this week), is very good for you. It's certainly not good for the ambiance of the flat, and tonight's final installment has become something of a mental battle. I do not feel in the mood for fish, and I'm certainly not in the mood for more of Evesham's finest, but neither can I make a meal out of pickled garlic, blueberries and cheese, which is all that's left in the fridge. Sigh

Hopefully the addition of the new potatoes will dilute the smell tomorrow.

Wine Time
I drank Rueda because I love it at the moment: It's fruity, got some body to it and has enough acidity to cut through the fleshiness of the fish. However I suspect a Sauv would go equally well, as would an Alsatian Riesling that's dry and crisp rather than full of residual sugar.

sources
pancetta-wrapped salmon with griddled asparagus and lime creme fraiche - Delicious, June 2010, p23

ottlenghi's chargrilled asparagus, courgettes and halloumi

This is one of those salad-y dishes I've been desperate to try it every time we make the recipe opposite it, roast chicken and three-rice salad, which as you know we have loads...

So with a fridge full of angiosperms and the inevitable four half-eaten punnets of cherry tomatoes, and without the usual eye-rolling accompaniment from Mrs Barnes, tonight is the night it gets its debut. I don't get Ana's attitude to this - halloumi, courgette, cherry tomatoes, salad - these are all key food groups of the McCarthy. We've also had plenty of amazing Ottolenghi dishes whether we've cooked them or supplied variously by Kendra Kats and Miss Smither, but she's strangely resistant to it's charms:

Two smokey, hellish hours later, I'm firmly in the HATE camp. It's not that it's difficult per se and it's not that it doesn't taste delish, it does. It's the multiple levels of admittedly-easy stages that essentially I'm going to boil down to 'blanch and grill the lot in one go' if, God-forbid I ever make it again. Add to that I simply don't have enough bowls to take various part-boiled, part-grilled marinading veg. It is nice though...

Wine Time
Should The Yummington Mummington ever take shape, and I get a chef to cook it rather than having me weeping in frustration in the kitchen, this has "Lunch" or "Light Bite" all over it, and it also has Sauvignon Blanc. And not just because it's the default fuel of all Yummy Mummies, but because it's perfect for this dish. The thing with Sauvs is there are loads of varieties you can choose from, you can go all classy with a Sancerre with it's mineral bite that'll cleanse your palate of the creamy halloumi, a lemony Bordeaux or Aussie number to match the dressing, or even go wild and crazy with an herbaceous Kiwi wonder to harmonise with the asparagus. You pays your money, you takes your choice.

sources
chargrilled asparagus, courgettes and halloumi - Yotam Ottolenghi, Delicious July 2008, p64, from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook.

pasta with asparagus, pesto and poached egg

Can this be summer finally arriving? This week has been spent variously hungover, drinking in the streets and sipping pink champagne on the balcony of the Wellington Arch on Hyde Park Corner:

Today I spend it mainly sweltering in the kitchen whilst working from home. As ever with working-from-home Thursdays, after dropping Milo off at nursery I come home via my new-found (well, Ana found it) favourite coffee shop, Pickle & Rye on Sheen Lane, to pick up a flat white and a sandwich for lunch. The day then quite literally drains away in a torrent of rosé being shipped out to Putney for the weekend. By the time Ana and Milo get home, I'm starving and ready to get stuck into the 2-for-1 bunches of asparagus we got in Waitrose.

I have to say I'm a relatively new convert to the charms of angiosperms (snigger), partly because I'm one of that 22% who smell asparagus-y effluvia - you all make it mind - but this old recipe really kick-started our intake. 'Tis also in season, why not get stuck in eh?

Wine Time
Now this maybe purely because of the smell, but I'm going to go with a really grassy - rather than full-blown tropical fruit - New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. If that doesn't take your fancy, you couldn't go far wrong sticking with culture and trying it with a fruity Pinot Grigio, or a herbaceous Soave.

sources
pasta with asparagus, pesto and poached egg - Delicious, May 2005, p110

pancetta-wrapped salmon with griddled asparagus

After last night's impromptu-post-inaugural-Vault-Club-Tasting-burgers-at-Sophie's, today I'm not only feeling brackish but also loquacious AND in need of a health kick. BUT, and there's a twist, it's a health kick that Ana will have to provide as I'd completely forgotten I was down for a Wine Challenge in the City tonight.

Still, is there anything more glorious than returning home after a highly-successful dip in the water at hosting a corporate challenge (Tom let me do a couple of rounds, which was nerve-wracking but strangely fun), to find dinner ready? Particularly as salmon and asparagus work just as well at room temperature as when hot from the oven*.

* And I'm not even joking.

sources
pancetta-wrapped salmon with griddled asparagus and lime creme fraiche - Delicious, June 2010, p23

leek risotto & pasta with asparagus, pesto and poached egg

Sounds like a double catch-up of fine gourmet fayre, but in fact this is just what we had today as last night we were double-lazy bastards: "we've got back into the habit of having a curry every week," the anas decide seconds before ordering a chicken tikka. After last week's same-old same-old old fashioned, I go with Achari Lamb which was amazingly pungent and fruity.

So a bad friday is balanced by a pretty good saturday although there is an air of having to deal with double service. ana's out with kendra tonight, watching her sister play a gig somewhere in Barnes so first up I've got to feed her and the magics - they both have leek risotto.

Once she's gone and magic is sleeping with the baa-lambs I have the asparagus pasta dish. I used to cook it loads when we were in Lacy Road and the reason it's resurfaced is because I saw the asparagus is in season. As you end up with three different pans on at the same time, and they all cook within 4 minutes, the key is to just make sure the bloody egg is runny. FAIL. Still it was nice to welcome back, and the new 'sesonality' kick did see me coming back with some baby beetroot from the farmer's market today so expect some sort of experimentation soon.



Food of the Milos
On friday ana tried him on some baked salmon and minted peas, it didn't end happily, however saturday is a winner; porridge for brekker, two-cheese omlette for lunch and risotto for dinner. Naturally he underlines his middle-class cred by pointing at the pan with the leek softening but *before* i'd put the rice in and loudly proclaimed "Geek" and then "Risotto!" He's mother is so proud.

source
leek risotto - Nigel Slater, Observer Food Monthly
pasta with asparagus, pesto and poached egg - Delicious, May 2005, p110