Forget complicated recipes with long lists of ingredients and fancy culinary terms that make you feel you need a GCSE in French.  Chef Steve Clark shows you how to cook restaurant-style food in your own kitchen, without breaking a sweat.

Each month, the head chef of the Garden Restaurant at The Bromley Court Hotel  will take a familiar or seasonal ingredient, and give his top tips on how to enjoy it at its best - no fuss, just good food, cooked well.

“For my first recipe with News Shopper, I have chosen to demystify asparagus. Don’t be afraid of these little green spears - I would give them 10 out of 10 for ease of cooking.

British asparagus is a bit like English sunshine – make the most of it while you can, as it is not around for long. 

It should be in the supermarkets and farm shops now until mid-June. Choose bunches with tight spears as these will be the most fresh, and store in a cool, dark place or bottom of the fridge.

News Shopper:

For simple cooking, cut off the woody ends of the asparagus. You don’t have to peel the stems – that is just a chef trick to make it look pretty.

Bring a pan of very salted water to the boil. You need enough salt so that, once dissolved, the water tastes too salty. Add the asparagus and boil for about 3 minutes, drain and serve with butter. 

But if you want to take asparagus to the next stage, serve it with a Salsa Verde, see recipe.

We serve this in the Garden Restaurant with a perfectly poached egg on top (that’s a recipe for another time).

News Shopper:

Use a very sharp knife to chop the herbs for the Salsa Verde – a blunt one will simply squash them. Herbs are also now coming into season so make extra Salsa Verde to serve with cold meats, such as carpaccio, or spooned over pasta.

It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, covered with a layer of olive oil.

the Garden Restaurant will be serving British asparagus (british-asparagus.co.uk) dishes on its specials menu throughout May and early June. See our website for details bromleycourthotel.co.uk

Got a question for Chef in the Garden? Email it to jim.palmer@london.newsquest.co.uk

News Shopper:

RECIPE: CHARGRILLED BRITISH ASPARAGUS WITH SALSA VERDE

Serves 2 as a light lunch or starter

Ingredients:

  • 12 spears of asparagus
  • For the Salsa Verde:
  • 1 finely diced shallot
  • Halve a clove of garlic, crushed
  • Half a bunch of fresh mint
  • 10 sprigs of thyme
  • Half a bunch of fresh parsley
  • Half bunch of fresh chives
  • Quarter of a bunch of fresh tarragon
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbs Dijon mustard
  • 150ml olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Method:

First, make the Salsa Verde. Finely chop the herbs and mix with the shallot, olive oil, mustard sugar, salt and pepper.

Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus and peel the stems if you prefer.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the asparagus. Cook for about 3 minutes. Drain and coat in olive oil.

You can serve the asparagus like this or place the cooked spears on a hot griddle for a few minutes to lightly brown, or onto the rungs of a barbecue.

Place the asparagus on a serving plate and drizzle with the Salsa Verde. Serve with crusty bread.