Individual Mint Flecked Green Quiches

I made this so called Mint Flecked Green Quiche a couple of weeks back when D was bringing home asparagus bundles.  I had a few ideas as to what to do with the asparagus, but D requested quiche, as its not something I make that often.  

Well with it being Summer and all that, how can I refuse a dish that can be portable too, especially when you make them in individual pastry cases. 

D complimented that he could really taste the asparagus.  The peas were dotted here and there like green marbles and the mint, minced to its dear life - flecking the golden cheesy creamy topping. I personally found the Quiche incredibly rich and actually struggled to eat a whole one, even though it was served with a side of salad.

You could make this with any other green vegetable, but as asparagus and mint are in season, I chose to go with the flow. 

Asparagus and Radish Pasta Salad

Ah the British asparagus season has begun in earnest and we've enjoyed a couple of bundles so far. 

Although I've cooked with asparagus many times, for some reason it still doesn't inspire me much in the kitchen.  It does get me to use our asparagus steaming pot, though I wonder why I bother with it when the asparagus falls out from the sides of the metal basket.  I do think the best way to enjoy asparagus is steamed and simply drizzled in some flavoured oil or served with a thick sauce such as hollandaise.

This reminds me that the most and only expensive meal I've ever had was for my belated honeymoon in Paris.  For starter, we had White Asparagus that served with an excellent zesty sauce. Was it worth every euro? Well let's say I'll never forget it.

Well no fat fancy white asparagus here, only the long traditional spear headed green ones.  I made a simple Asparagus pasta salad, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper and then drizzled with equal quantity of good olive oil and white wine vinegar.  It looked a little insipid, so I minced some flat leaf parsley and added some raw blushing peppery radishes to it.  And because I wanted to show my husband that I do love and appreciate him at this trying time in our lives, I cut some of the radishes into heart shapes.   He just smiled, knowing deep down they were there for me too.

This is my entry for this month's No Croutons Required (NCR) which encourages bloggers to create either a vegetarian soup or salad incorporating a specified ingredient, in this case its Asparagus. NCR is alternately hosted between the Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen, who is this months host.

I hope you enjoy the simplicity of this seasonal Asparagus and Radish Pasta salad. 

Inspire us – Asparagus

After work I stopped at the allotment to feed the plants in the greenhouse, especially the tomatoes, they will need feeding on a daily basis now. After feeding the plants, I paused to check out the asparagus bed to see it there was any sign of asparagus tips emerging from the bed, of course not - silly me, the asparagus is only in its second year, ah the high expectations we have.

D is envious of fellow plot holders down South growing asparagus. Unlike his patch in the West of Scotland; their patch of land is rewarding them with stalk after stalk. He aspires to have an asparagus bed like theirs one day. Looking at fellow bloggers images of their glorious asparagus also made me a bit envious, and I am not one who relishes when the asparagus season is upon us, but I wouldn’t mind growing my own. I was especially stunned by the size of Celia’s asparagus showcased recently by Eat Like a Girl. Oh well, for now we will simply enjoy what is being grown by British farmers.

Talking about asparagus. This is an asparagus steamer. I bought this for D for one of his birthdays a long while ago.

Look the asparagus falls through the sides and it is not even steamed yet. It has one purpose to hold the asparagus and it cannot even do that, it is even worse when the asparagus is steamed as it falls through the sides even more so. My advice is if you are considering getting one of these, Don’t, you can steam asparagus well without having one of these gadgets. This asparagus pot just sits high on one of our shelves, like an ornament rather than a functional kitchen product. But if you feel you must purchase one ensure that the strainer inside will hold the asparagus stalks, otherwise you may be disappointed like us.

Now onto food: Ready made puff pastry (yes life is too short to make your own, unless of course it is your vocation), asparagus stalks and a generous grating of vegetarian parmesan cheese and bake.

What more can I say. Enjoy!

Plat du jour: White asparagus

Last Wednesday we arrived in Paris.

Our 'hotel' was located in 17th Arrondisment also known as Bastignolles near Wagram. We stayed in a street called Rue Poncelet where the nearest metro was Ternes.
After checking in, we were straight out behaving like tourists and putting to use some of our basic french phrases. One of our first stops was to the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
via place di Clichy when I decided I wanted to try some Parisian street food, to be more specific: a crêpe.

So many flavours to choose from.

After umming and ahhing I decided on banana. I know, all those other flavours and I go for banana. It was delicious! and big enough to share!

The rain came down pretty heavy at one point and we ran for cover. This is when we stumbled upon Lafayette one of the pricey shopping malls in Paris. I suppose it is the equivalent of Harrods in London. I did not spend much time looking in there as I was only sheltering from the heavy rain, but in the short time inside, I gazed over the gourmet food on display. I was really impressed with the decor, especially the stain glass windows on the ceiling, stunning and amazing with the vivid peacock feather colours. Wow! Imagine working under that every day. Beautiful.

On our way back to he hotel, we passed the crêpe stall again, this time I had a chestnut puree crêpe. I needed a bit of cheer as I was wet to the skin. This chestnut crêpe did not taste too good and not so fresh, I think the batter may have been sitting a little while. I also think chestnut is an acquired taste. I don't mind it in soups, but as a sweet, I'm not too sure.

For our evening meal we had a plat du jour which was a simple plate of white asparagus with a parsley vinaigrette for 12 euros. The asparagus was really thick. For me the taste of white asparagus was more flavourful than her greener and thinner sister. It was good to try something different. I read somewhere that in a part of Italy, Turin I think, they grow purple - Violet asparagus. Now that's a novelty.

After our meal, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe which was about 10 minutes walk from our hotel.

Lonely Asparagus Shoot

Ah the asparagus season is upon us, which lasts about 10 – 12 weeks. Asparagus is Ds favourite vegetable. Personally asparagus does nothing for my taste buds, other than occasionally serving as soldier dips for soft boiled eggs, but D was so keen to grow some of his own, especially as they are so expensive to buy. So he planted six crowns in the ground. I was doubtful whether they will grow outside in the Scottish climate, but he was optimistic and anything is worth a try.

So last year, much to my amazement a couple of shoots did come up, I was so astonished that I had to take a photograph to prove to other disbelievers that this little asparagus grew outside.

Unfortunately for D, it was not worth harvesting. I wonder if this year they will fair any better? Looking at the asparagus bed earlier this afternoon, I don’t think so. I am going to give the asparagus crowns another chance this year, if they do not come up tall, green and glorious, then I will dig them up, and give the plot over to something else that will produce. Or should I still be patient a little bit more?