Time to cut the 'gras/ Salmon provencal

With the smell of the approaching summer drifting off the oil seed rape fields all over the Cotswolds, it can mean only one thing - it's almost time to cut the ‘gras.

Sightings had been reported on several local menus, and as I stopped at Collis, the market garden just before Evesham on the Broadway road, there were several bunches on the shelves in the shining sun and I couldn‘t resist.

In the vale of Evesham, home of English asparagus it’s time for the early crop already.

While on holiday in Venice, some 6 or 7 years ago I picked some asparagus up on the rialto market (we‘ve since found the market on St. Margherita‘s Square, or the veg barge) and wanting to try something new (yes, chefs do cook on holiday as well) rolled it in olive oil, stuck it under the grill till soft then, looking in the fridge, found some parmesan, as you do, and gratinated it, thus starting my obsession with asparagus and parmesan.

Last Friday I grilled it again. Though this time without parmesan - it accompanied a bistro style dish of Salmon provençal with dauphinoise potato, pepper coulis and balsamic.

The salmon is marinaded in and grilled in tomato sauce. If you grill it (on a conventional grill) skin side up the skin turns crisp and becomes the best part of the whole dish. If the skin is burning before the salmon is cooked, you just need to reduce the heat of the grill. If you are chargrilling dip into flour as explained earlier to avoid it sticking. In season you could use wild salmon. I did last year and it was a complete revelation. Worth every penny.

Ref: Asparagus and parmesan

Grilled asparagus with king prawn and scallop fricassee

4

Cauliflower - Top 5 flavours

When not eating cauliflower raw as carpaccio, there are lots of other things you can do to bring life to an old favourite - after all we live to eat.

1 - Baked with Simon Weaver's Blue Brie



2 - Raspberry vinaigrette


Amazingly good either cold or hot.


3 - With curry sauce and coriander



4 - Almond noisette butter


5 - Red pepper coulis


Is five ever enough?

6 - Stir fried with soy sauce

Just as purple sprouting broccoli the caramelisation when you stir fry caulifower tastes amazing.

Don't overfill the pan or it steams. Add soy sauce and a little toasted sesame seed oil right at the end.

0

Red pepper coulis

Red peppers, in this case though of course you can use yellow peppers or orange.

Sweated down in a little olive oil till soft. Then blitzed in the proccessor with a little vegetable stock and seasoning.






You can use this as a sauce or in a bigger quantity as a soup. Add cream and gelatine to set it and you have red pepper bavarois which is great as a vegetarian starter with homemade bread or with parma ham. With a little white wine or white balsamic added it can also be a salad dressing.

0