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Its been a long long wet winter but its asparagus time!

I refuse to buy asparagus unless it has been grown in the UK.
So my heart skipped a beat this week when I noticed that a few spears must have popped their heads up over what's left of this winters floods and made their way to the shelves of waitrose Esher.

I decided to try this recipe from Skye Gyngell's 'My favourite ingredients' and Lisa and I who were home alone decided it was pretty good. Here's the recipe so that you can judge for yourself

Recipe
This is a lovely asparagus starter. The tomato dressing has an intensity that contrasts well with the slightly nutty flavour of briefly cooked asparagus – and soft, gentle crème fraîche bridges the gap between the two flavours beautifully.
About 32 asparagus spears
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbsp crème fraîche
For the tomato dressing:
12 little ripe tomatoes
2 rosemary sprigs, leaves only
1 clove of garlic, peeled
4 good quality anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp good quality red wine vinegar
200ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
To serve
Rosemary sprigs with flowers, or finely
Chopped parsley
First make the tomato dressing. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Pierce each tomato once with a small, sharp knife – this helps to release the juice while the tomatoes are cooking. Place them in a roasting tin in which they fit quite snugly. Drizzle over a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and bursting from their skins. Set aside to cool.
Pound the rosemary leaves, garlic and anchovy fillets to a rough paste, using a pestle and mortar. Add the tomatoes one by one, pounding after each addition, until all have been incorporated. Add the mustard and vinegar and stir well to combine. Pour in the olive oil, stirring as you do so. Taste and season with a little salt and pepper. The dressing should be quite coarse and textured. Set aside to allow the flavours to adjust to each other.
To cook the asparagus place a large pan of well-salted water on to boil. Snap the asparagus spears near the base – they will naturally break off where the fibrous part ends. Peel the lower end of the stalks. When the water is boiling vigorously, drop in the asparagus and cook for 1½ minutes, or until the spears are still firm but yield to the bite. Remove them with tongs and place in a warm bowl.
Immediately season the asparagus and dress with the extra-virgin olive oil. Arrange on warm plates, add a dollop of crème fraîche and spoon on the tomato dressing. Finish with rosemary flowers, if available, or sprinkle with a little chopped parsley and serve.

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