Three Ways With Asparagus

Make the most of the British asparagus season with these recipes from Alice Zaslavsky

- Samuel Goldsmith

VEGETABLE MAC ’N’ CHEESE

Oozy, asparagus-studded deliciousness in the time it takes to boil the pasta!

SERVES 4

500g (1lb 2oz) macaroni (or gluten-free pasta)

3-4 bunches (about 600g/ 1¾lb) asparagus

½ cauliflower, with leaves

100g (3½oz) butter

300g (10oz) Comté (or Gruyère or Cheddar), grated

250g (9oz) Parmesan, grated

Olive oil, for drizzling

Beurre noisette:

80g (2¾oz) butter

Handful of raw or roasted hazelnuts

1 Fill a large pan three-quarters full of water, add plenty of salt and bring to the boil. Add the macaroni, setting a timer for 3 mins before the packet says the pasta will be ready.

2 Meanwhile, snap the woody ends off the asparagus and reserve, then slice the spears into bite-sized pieces. Chop the cauliflower into fork-sized florets, and the stalks into bite-sized pieces. Cut the leaves to forkful size and reserve.

3 Melt the butter in a large non-stick saucepan.

4 When your timer goes off, pop the cauliflower into the pasta pot, then reset the timer for 2 more mins.

5 When the timer goes off again, add the asparagus spears, then reset the timer for 1 min. Scoop out and reserve a mugful of pasta water, then carefully pour the asparagus, cauliflower and pasta mixture into a colander to drain.