Steamed asparagus is a beautiful thing. Actually, asparagus in all forms is delicious. One of my favorite sneaky ways to bump up the excitement of steamed asparagus is to add some finely minced (or pressed) garlic and a little bit of salt before cooking it.

Get ready for next-level steamed asparagus. Did you know that asparagus is a great source of fiber? It also has lots of vitamins A, C and E… which is all the proof you need that asparagus is great, really.

By the way, if you want to save your lovely little spears from untimely wrinkling, wrap the ends in a damp paper towel and store them in the refrigerator.

Except for the asparagus, this is a one-pot meal, which means not only is there less cleaning to do, but you get all the delicious flavors and healthy (and not so healthy) bits together in a luscious sauce.

Serves: 4
Total time: 45 minutes

On the Counter

2 large free-range chicken breasts, split or 4 small chicken breasts
100 mL (1/2 cup) chicken stock or white wine
200 g (1/2 lb) white mushrooms
1 tbsp butter (or olive oil, if you’re dairy-free)
handful of chopped fresh parsley
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 large or 2 medium garlic cloves
1 shallot
16 spears of asparagus, tough ends snapped off
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

What to Do

Season the chicken liberally on both sides with salt and pepper.

Slice the mushrooms, chop the shallots and mince the garlic. Set 1/4 of the garlic aside. Slice the asparagus spears longways, either in half or quarters, depending how thick they are. You can then chop those pieces in half (or not!).

In a wide, flat bottomed pan, like a frying pan or skillet, heat the butter until it’s melted and bubbly.

On medium high, sear the chicken breasts (skin side down if it’s skin on) until it’s browned, about 4-5 minutes but have a peek underneath to confirm. If it’s sticking to the pan, give it more time. Flip the chicken and do the same again.

Remove the chicken and set it aside, covered.

Add a little more butter if needed, lower the heat and fry the shallots for 2-3 minutes, until they’re soft, stirring occasionally. Then the garlic goes in for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add in the mushrooms, and sautée. They’ll release a lot of liquid. Stir frequently until they’re soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Turn up the heat, stir in the wine or stock and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping (with a wooden spoon) the bottom.

Return the chicken to the pan and simmer it for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is at 65C/ 144 F degrees, or isn’t pink in the middle.

With about 5 minutes left on the chicken, set a 2-tiered steamer pan boiling. Add in the asparagus, 1/4 of the garlic and a pinch of salt. Steam for 2-3 minutes until bright green. Don’t let them go further or they’ll be too soft.

Once the chicken is done, remove the pan from the heat and stir in lemon juice and parsley.

Serve on its own, or with a salad or brown rice. It’s also good as leftovers!

June weather in the UK is unpredictable at best, which is something I’m still getting used to. Three years in, and I think I’m finally starting to accept that June is just going to be a mix of warm days, rainy days, and a combination of the two. But, some of those days are hot enough to justify a salad for dinner – and if it’s made with asparagus, I’m in.

I guess you could say that I’m still inspired by food we had in Sweden, as I had it saved from Anne’s Food Blog and finally got around to making it.

You don’t need to spend much time in the kitchen to make this, and it’s a lot more substantial than a bowl of lettuce. I’m hoping for a summer here in London that means more time to try interesting new salads… plus I’m looking forward to more iced coffee and sunny days.

We ate this without salmon for dinner, and with salmon for lunch the next day. (I’ve included instructions for poaching salmon at the end.)

Asparagus and Potato Salad Recipe

Serves: 4 (with or without salmon)

On the Counter

2.5 lbs (1 kg) new potatoes
1 lb (500 g) asparagus
1/2 lb (250 g) carrots, cut into chunks
2 scallions (green onions), sliced
3 tbsp creme fraiche (or slightly more sour cream)
3 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp whole-grain mustard
salt, black pepper
1 tsp fresh lemon juice, optional

large bowl of ice and cold water
steamer

What to Do

Quarter the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Boil for about 5 minutes, or until fork-tender but before they start falling apart. Drain and set them aside to cool.

Snap off the ends of the asparagus, and slice them into halves, length-wise. Steam them with a pinch of salt for 5-6 minutes until bright green and tender.

Meanwhile, boil the carrots in salted water for 6 minutes, until fork-tender.

Once the asparagus and carrots are cooked, plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Combine the sour cream, dijon and whole-grain mustard, with salt and black pepper to taste. If desired, mix in teaspoon of lemon juice for extra tanginess.

Toss with potatoes, carrots and asparagus. Serve, and sprinkle with sliced scallions.

Optional: Serve with poached salmon.

Poached Salmon Recipe

1 sprig parsley or dill
1 shallot, chopped
4 filets (3 oz or 85 g) of salmon, or 1 large piece of salmon (12 oz or 340 g)
1 cup water (or 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup white wine)

Sprinkle the salmon fillets with salt on both sides.

Add water/wine, herbs and shallot into a wide, flat-bottomed pot and bring to a simmer.

Place salmon, skin-side down, into the pan. Cover and begin to check the salmon at 5 minutes, until the flesh is entirely light pink.

Flake the salmon or serve as whole pieces, depending on your preference. If flaked, combine with the mustard cream and vegetables.

Spring is in the air, and it’s finally time for local asparagus again! As a kid, I didn’t get asparagus. I didn’t like the taste and I thought it looked weird. Just not interested, thanks. I was a really picky eater as a kid though – my mom still calls me out on the things I wouldn’t even sample that I now can’t get enough of. As an adult, though, I can’t really think of any other vegetables that make me excited about spring. And now I’m the kind of person who gets excited about vegetables, come to think of it. How times change.

It is worth remembering that sometimes kids with the least adventurous appetite can grow up to like asparagus, sweet potatoes and even spinach. There’s hope for the future of picky young people.

Back to the asparagus. Now that it’s finally asparagus season, I’m going to be eating as much of it as possible.  I think the easiest ways are the best ways, and this is a pretty easy way to enjoy asparagus. It’s not as straightforward as cooking everything and plopping it on a plate, but it’s pretty close.

If you like asparagus even half as much as I do, this recipe will make you happy.

Tagliatelle with Asparagus, Pine Nuts and Lemon

On the Counter

Serves: 2
5 oz., (150 g) tagliatelle (broken in half)
6 asparagus stalks (3 per serving)
1 tsp lemon zest (about one lemon’s worth)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (or Grana Padano for veggies) cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chili/red pepper flakes
pine nuts
lemon wedge

What to Do

Salt 1.5 liters of water and bring it to the boil in a tiered pot with a steamer. While the water is coming to a boil, snap off the tough ends of the asparagus (thanks to food guru Alton Brown for this tip) and cut the spears into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces.

Steam the asparagus for 5-7 minutes, depending on thickness.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet over low heat, toast the pine nuts. Put the pine nuts into the pan with no oil and agitate them frequently. It should take about 5 minutes for golden toasted nuts.

Once the nuts are finished, set them aside and heat the olive oil.

Set aside the steamed asparagus, steamer top and add the pasta into the boiling water.

Into shimmering olive oil, add minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add chilli flakes and asparagus and toss to coat in the oil. After a few minutes, add 3 tablespoons of pasta water to the asparagus. Add in the pine nuts and lemon zest, and coat.

Drain the pasta when it’s al dente (cooked for about 6-7 minutes) and add to asparagus and oil. Top with cheese and combine until thoroughly coated.