Recipe of the week: asparagus, wild garlic and English pecorino salad

Asparagus season is now in full flourish, says events company Lettice Events, who champion sustainability and seasonality. Wild garlic is also popping up everywhere (you can even forage it yourself from damp woodlands, near rivers and brooks). This salad is a prime example of how good products can be treated simply for sublime results. 

Makes two portions

Ingredients

• 8 spears of asparagus (the thicker the better, preferably from the UK’s Wye Valley)
• 10 leaves of wild garlic
• 1 lemon
• Some sourdough bread
• Salad leaves – any variety will do
• A small piece of pecorino cheese
• Vinaigrette (see below)

For the vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons of a neutral oil (grapeseed ideally, otherwise sunflower will do)
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Twist of pepper

Method

• Begin by making your croutons. You can do this in any shape you like. We like to thinly slice the bread, lay it on a baking tray and drizzle it liberally with olive oil and sea salt, then bake at 180c for 7-8 minutes.
• Cut off the woody end of the asparagus (you can find this by bending the asparagus from the bottom and moving slowly up the spear until you find the point that it will snap off).
• Blanch your asparagus in two batches in salted boiling water for 30 seconds. Plunge into cold water, with ice ideally.
• Blanch your wild garlic leaves in the water for two seconds, to gently wilt them and to mellow the harsh garlic flavour. Refresh in the cold water as well, to stop the cooking process.
• Dry your asparagus and wild garlic using kitchen towels.
• Cut your asparagus into bite-size pieces, on an angle, and place the pieces a bowl with your salad leaves.
• Dress with the vinaigrette and a sprinkle of sea salt. Place your mix on plates and lay the wilted wild garlic leaves over the top. Add your croutons and grate plenty of pecorino over the top.

Lettice Events create recipes every month based on the seasonal produce available in the UK.