Asparagus Soup

Ingredients
750g Asparagus (cut into inch long bits)
125g Brie Cheese (diced)
25g Butter
1 Small Onion (thinly chopped)
1.2 Litres Chicken (or Vegetable Stock)
Salt and Pepper
150ml Single Cream
A Few Cooked Asparagus Spears to Garnish
Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Frying Pan
1 Blender

The Good Bit

1. Melt the butter in the frying pan then cook the onion for 5 minutes until lightly browned (over a gentle heat as butter burns if you cook over the same temperatures as you would with oil) then add in the asparagus.
2. Add in the stock and season to taste, cover the best yu can and leave to simmer for 25 minutes, the asparagus should just be going soft.
3. Allow to cool a little the blend until you have a nice smooth soup, then add in the brie and blend again. Rinse out the frying pan then pour the soup back in, reheat and adjust the seasoning if needed (if it looks a little pale you can add green food colouring if desired)
4. Serve with French bread and a drizzle of cream.
   

Serves 6

Chinese Prawns and Asparagus

Ingredients
500g Cooked Prawns (frozen will do)
175g Asparagus (cut into inch long lengths)
4 Spring Onions (cut into inch long lengths)
4 Tablespoons Sherry
1 Inch Fresh Ginger (grated)
1 Teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)
A Splash of Oil
Salt

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Wok
1 Spatula
1 Pan (2/3rds full with boiling salted water)
1 Slotted Spoon
1 Mixing Bowl

The Good Bit

1. Drop the asparagus in the boiling water for 2 minutes then remove with a slotted spoon. Whilst that is doing, mix the soy sauce, sherry and prawns together, set aside for 15 minutes.
2. In the wok add a good splash of oil, tip in the garlic, ginger and half of your spring onions, stir fry over a high heat for 1 minute, now add in the prawns along with the sauce and the asparagus and continue to stir for 2 minutes.
3. Serve with the remaining spring onions sprinkled over the top.
   

Serves 4

Summer Sundays Chicken

Ingredients
4 Chicken Breast
1 Lettuce (divided into leaves)
375g New Potatoes (cooked/from a can)
8 Tomatoes (skinned sliced, don't worry about skinning if you are not sure)
1 Onion (cut into wedges)
175g Asparagus (boiled in salted water until tender then refreshed under a cold tap)
A Handful Fresh Parsley (chopped)
175g Melted Butter (unsalted is best)
2 Eggs (split and keep just the yolks)
1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 Lemon (juiced)

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Blender (or mixing bowl and balloon whisk)
1 Griddle
1 Pan (2/3rds full with boiling salted water)

The Good Bit

1. A couple of things to do first, if the potatoes need cooking, get them on for about 10 minutes in the boiling slated water, check with a fork, when they are done there should be very little resistance to the fork going all the way through. Do the same with the asparagus, that only takes a couple of minutes though, set both aside and allow to cool, or for speed run under cold water.
2. Next griddle the onion wedges turning once so they char on two sides, set aside and griddle the chicken, that should take about 10 minutes on both sides.
3. Whilst the chicken is doing plate up, start with the lettuce leaves, then decorate with the tomato slices, new potatoes asparagus and onion wedges.
4. In the blender mix in the egg yolk, mustard and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice then pour in gradually the butter until you have a smooth sauce, this can be warmed up gently using a bain marie (pour the sauce into a bowl and stand in a saucepan of warm water.
5. Finally when the chicken is done, lay on top of the salad sprinkle over some of the chopped parsley and drizzle over the hollandaise sauce.
   

Serves 4

Thai Omelette

Ingredients
1 Onion (thinly chopped)
2 Cloves Garlic (thinly chopped)
2 Tablespoons Chopped Green Beans
2 Tablespoons Chopped Asparagus
3 Baby Sweetcorn (thinly sliced)
1 Tomato (diced)
4 Shiitake Mushrooms (sliced)
1 1/2 Teaspoons Sugar
2 Teaspoons Soy Sauce
50ml Water
Pinch of Salt
Oil
3 Eggs (beaten)
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Medium Bowl
1 Frying Pan/Wok
1 Spatula

The Good Bit

1. Heat 3 Tablespoons of groundnut oil in the pan (olive will do) fry the onion and garlic for 30 seconds then add the rest of the vegetables, the soy sauce and the sugar and stir fry for another 4 minutes.
2. Take out of the pan and set aside, wipe the pan clean and add another dash of oil then pour in the egg and swirl it round to cover the bottom of the pan, with the spatula keep lifting the edges of the omelette to make sure it doesn't stick, when the omelette is almost firm drop the filling in the centre.
3. Fold the edges, top and bottom over the filling to create an oblong parcel then serve and carve into 4 slices. you can add a topping of fried basil leaves for extra flare, a couple of basil leaves in the pan once your done, take out when they are wilted (seconds)
   

Serves 4