Asparagus soup with shaved asparagus #172

Asparagus is in full season and at this time of year I always try to have some at home since it such a versatile vegetable and can be used for so many things. This time I made some soup using some left over white asparagus and some fresh green ones. You don´t need to use any white asparagus for this recipe since I only used them since they got left over and was getting dry and boring. This is also why my soup is not very green in my photos, it will of course be more green if you´re only using the green ones.

If you´re in the mood for some green asparagus and don´t feel like serving soup why not try some of my other asparagus recipes like Crayfish lasagna with asparagus or Grilled asparagus with Parmesan cheese. But since it´s been cold for a few days here in Sweden (yes colder than our usual cold) I felt like soup.

Asparagus soup with shaved asparagus

green asparagus

shallot onion

chicken or vegetable stock

cream

water

salt, pepper

olive oil

Slice the asparagus, save some of the tips for serving. Chop the onion and add asparagus and onion to a pot and sauteé with the olive oil on medium heat, add the chicken stock and leave to simmer for about ten minutes. Blend into a smoot soup, add the cream, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Adjust flavor to taste. 

Using a potato peeler slice the saved tips into thin slices, add the soup to a bowl and decorater with the sliced asparagus and a little bit of olive oil.

10 Easter appetizers!

Easter is up and what better way to spend it but eating loads of delicious food. I´ve put together some of my spring and easter favorites into this great collection, after each photo there is a link where you will find the recipe, now go cook and have a great easter!



Salmon with cucumber, dill and wasabi



Crayfish salad with dill on toast



Grilled asparagus with Parmesan cheese



Smashed peas with mint on toast



Soused herring with egg, chives and potatoes



Fennel, shrimp, carrot and orange salad with dill



Soft boiled egg with broad beans and shrimp



Gazpacho salad



Lamb with goat cheese and herbs



Caesar salad

Asparagus with chili Bearnaise #167

Asparagus is one amazing vegetable but serve it pan roasted with a chili flavored Bearnaise and my God!
Ok, use fresh green asparagus, peel if they are thick but usually they are just fine to use as they are. Whip up some classic Bearnaise and season it with dried chili flakes or fresh chillies if you have some.

If you´re not in a tapas mood this is a great side to all grilled meats as well, just serve a lot, I guarantee success!

Also if you´ve never made a warm emulsion sauce like Bearnaise before then make a practice batch before you invite people over since it can be a bit tricky the first time or two, good luck!

Asparagus with chili Bearnaise

asparagus
chili flakes (or fresh chili)
clarified butter
eggs
red wine vinegar
tarragon
parsley
chives
salt, pepper
olive oil

For Bearnaise sauce you usually make a reduction using red wine vinegar, shallots, tarragon, pepper and let it all simmer for a while and then discarding the herbs and using the flavored vinegar with the egg yolks to start the sauce. This is a great way but it works fine to make it straight with the vinegar and add the spices and herbs as you go. Also there is some debate on which herbs should be added, I´m staying out of this debate, just make sure you use tarragon which is essential for the taste. This time I also added chives and parsley since those are my favorites.

Heat the clarified butter and set aside. Whisk together egg yolks with the vinegar and a little bit of salt and pepper. Carefully heat it during whisking on low heat until it starts to thicken, in most recipes this calls for a water bath but if you are careful it´s not a problem to do it on the stove. I use about one teaspoon of vinegar for each egg yolk and 1 dl / 1/2 cup butter for each yolk.

Once you have the egg and vinegar thick and warm remove it from the stove and start to add the warm butter a little at the time, if it gets to thick or starts to separate you can add a few drops of cold water to cool it down. Add all the butter and then season the sauce with all the chopped herbs and chili. Add more vinegar, salt and pepper if necessary. Roast the asparagus in olive oil in a pan and season with salt and pepper.

Crayfish lasagna with asparagus & garlic #163

This is barely a lasagna but since I used lasagna pasta and it is served in layers I still chose to call it a lasagna. You can of course serve it with regular pasta and you can of course make it bigger and serve it as a main course. I prepared all ingredients before cooking the pasta since the pasta is a central ingredient in the dish it would be ruined if it were to get overcooked. 

Crayfish lasagna with asparagus & garlic

cooked crayfish tails

asparagus

garlic

cream

milk

salt, pepper

olive oil

spinach and or other leaf vegetables

Parmesan cheese

lasagna pasta

Peel and slice garlic and saute in olive oil for a few minutes, add milk and cream and season with salt and pepper. Blend into a creamy garlic sauce, set aside. Rinse the spinach and drain the crayfish tails (if they were sold in liquid). Slice the asparagus and parboil in salted water. Boil the pasta until almost done (it will get done once everything is plated). 

Add one layer of pasta and then add the asparagus, crayfish and then repeat for as many layers as you like. Whisk the sauce and pour on top and add a little bit of salt, pepper and grated Parmesan, serve.

Asparagus with poached egg & serrano ham #162

Simple as usual but since asparagus, ham and eggs go together like.. well asparagus, ham and eggs why not try this recipe. It more or less is exactly what it looks like, grilled fresh asparagus, a slice of Spanish serrano ham and a poached organic egg, a little bit of salt, pepper and olive oil and it´s time to eat.

Only tricky thing about this is probably to poach the egg, what I do is i carefully crack the egg into some white wine vinegar and a little bit of water and let it sit there for about ten minutes, this will make the egg hold together a little bit better, use a tea mug or small soup bowl to crack the egg in. Then the egg will have a round bottom to rest on. Then I carefully add the egg to salted almost boiling water and then turn off the heat. Using a spoon carefully make sure the egg doesn´t stick to the bottom. After about five minutes carefully lift out the egg and trim it on the sides if necessary. Serve.

Asparagus with poached egg & serrano ham

fresh green asparagus

organic eggs

serrano ham

salt, pepper

olive oil

white wine vinegar (for preparing the egg)

Trim the asparagus and brush it with olive oil and then grill it until almost cooked through. Add a slice of serrano ham to a plate and then poach the egg as instructed above. Add the egg and asparagus to the ham and season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Serve.

New Years recipe ideas when you´re not on a budget

New Years Eve is coming up and if you haven´t decided on what to serve I have picked some of my own favorite recipes from Delicious Tapas and have some great suggestions for you!

This is part four in this series and for this post I will focus when you have an unlimited budget and want to treat yourself and your guests to something extra.

All recipes can be found in their original post that I have linked for each dish. I haven´t suggested any dessert but since I´m not that much into desserts. But if I have to recommend something I would go for any great ice cream, because who doesn´t love ice-cream?

New Years menu when you´re not on a budget

Appetizers - these three appetizers can more or less be eaten using your hands and of course you will be serving loads of Champagne on the side.

Duck liver paté with rosehip jam and bread
Grilled asparagus with Parmesan cheese
Grissini with Parma ham and cream cheese

Starter

Tuna tartar with avocado and chives

Tuna is always appreciated and I love the freshness and elegance of this recipe, since the budget is not an issue get the best tuna you can find.

Main course

Lobster tail with caper aioli
Linguine with truffles cream and Parmesan

Combine these two recipes but instead but skip the caper aioli for the lobster and you can serve the lobster warm instead of cold.

Grilled asparagus with Parmesan cheese #85

This is my absolute favorite way to eat asparagus, grilled with shaved parmiggiano reggiano great olive oil salt and pepper. If done right that´s all you need, luckily this recipe is so simple you won´t be able to fail.

Grilled asparagus with Parmesan cheese

fresh green asparagus

olive oil

Parmesan cheese

salt

pepper

Wash and trim of the end bits of the asparagus, add a few drops of olive oil and grill the asparagus on high heat until almost cooked through. Shave Parmesan cheese on top and a few more drops of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.