Recipes with Chef
Welcome to our new series, where we test our Head Chef Dan on his culinary and ingredient skills.
Each month we’ll give him some seasonal ingredients (or a task asked by you, like the perfect steak) and he’ll put a dish together..
First up we have Pan Fried Asparagus.
Ingredients – Serves 2
- 1 bunch of fresh asparagus
- 4 slices of sourdough bread from our bakery
- 4 Gate Farm eggs
- 1 packet of Diforti Coppa
- 50g wild garlic yarg cheese from our deli
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- Hill Farm rapeseed oil for drizzling
Method:
1. Prepare the eggs
Place the Gate Farm eggs in a medium pot and cover with water.
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer the eggs for approximately 6 minutes for soft-boiled eggs.
Remove the eggs from the pot and transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Once cooled, carefully peel the eggs and set them aside.
2. Prep the Asparagus
Rinse the asparagus under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Hold each asparagus spear at both ends and snap off the tough woody ends.
In a large skillet or pan, bring water to a boil and season with salt.
Add the trimmed asparagus to the boiling water and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until just tender.
Once cooked, remove the asparagus from the water and set aside.
3. Toast the Sourdough
Heat a large skillet or pan over medium heat.
Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and swirl it around to coat.
Place the sourdough slices in the pan and toast until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove the toasted sourdough from the pan and set aside.
4. Cook the Asparagus
In the same skillet used for toasting bread, melt the remaining butter over medium heat.
Add the cooked asparagus to the skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly browned and heated through.
Season the asparagus with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Assemble the Dish
On each plate, place a slice of toasted sourdough.
Top each slice with a slice of Coppa ham.
Arrange the cooked asparagus spears on top of the ham.
Break the wild garlic yarg into small pieces.
Crumble the yarg cheese and sprinkle it over the dish.
Using a knife, gently cut each soft-boiled egg in half and place them on the plates.
Finish by drizzling a generous amount of Hill Farm rapeseed oil over each plate.
6. Serve Immediately
Enjoy whilst everything is still warm and fresh.
