Steamed Asparagus & Serving Sauces
Steam your asparagus over a pan of boiling water for anywhere between two and five minutes (depending on thickness of stem). You will know it’s ready when you can poke a fork into it and there’s still a little give.
Here you’ll find a classic recipe for Hollandaise and a tempting Romesco sauce. If you don’t fancy the idea of making a sauce, then we can thoroughly recommend a fabulous peanut satay mix from Foxes, in our world food section, that just needs a little boiling water and a quick reduction – it’s thick, delicious, nutty and perfect with asparagus.
You can either serve your sauce of choice in a dipping bowl on the side or, as we like to do, pour a generous amount on top of your asparagus spears.
Instructions
Hollandaise Sauce
Reduce 250ml white wine vinegar by half with 4 peppercorns and a small handful of tarragon stalks.
Boil a large pan of water, then reduce to a simmer.
Using a whisk, beat together the yolks and 2 tsp of the reduced wine vinegar in a heatproof bowl that fits snugly over the pan.
Critical step: Beat vigorously until the mixture forms a foam, but make sure that it doesn’t get too hot.
To prevent the sauce from overheating, take it on and off the heat while you whisk, scraping around the sides with a spatula.
To prevent the sauce from overheating, take it on and off the heat while you whisk, scraping around the sides with a spatula.
Remove from the heat again and whisk in another ladle of butter. Repeat until all the butter is incorporated and you have a texture as thick as mayonnaise.
If you're nervous about curdling, just take this process really slowly.
At the end, whisk in a little lemon juice with the seasoning to taste plus a little warm water from the pan if the mixture is a little thick.
Romesco Sauce
Drain the jar of peppers thoroughly and add to a blender
Add the toasted almonds, garlic, sherry vinegar and paprika and whizz until broken down
Slowly add in the olive oil but be careful not to overblend. You want this to be texturised
Season to taste and serve
Ingredients
Available in store
-
Hollandaise Sauce
- 250ml white wine vinegar
- 4 peppercorns
- A handful of tarragon stalks
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 spoons of lemon juice
- 220g butter
-
Romesco Sauce
- 200g jar of roasted red peppers
- 100g toasted almonds
- 1 garlic clove
- 1tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1tsp smoked paprika
- 50ml olive oil