I am going to start my shameful first recipe post in months by just clarifying here and now that I am in no way, shape or form up to Nigella Lawson standard of cooking. Or Jamie Oliver. Or Gordon Ramsay. Or any other famous chef you may want to bring up.
I find a recipe or an idea that I like, suss it out for a day or two, add my own twist to it and away I go for a night of experimenting in my little kitchen. This fun activity is usually accompanied with a glass of wine. Yes - 'doos wyn' as my friend Ricardo calls it, which for you oversea's readers' is box wine.
Especially middle of the month.... box wine is cheaper and contains at leasst ten more glasses of wine than a measly bottle does. Get my logic? :)
OK - So this dish is called:
Grilled Asparagus Tartines with Spring Onion Cream Cheese and Pesto
Yesterday was my dear brother's birthday, his last birthday before he becomes a real live dad! Sweet right? For that reason, I thought I'd spoil him and his wife a little bit with this stunning three course meal. Both courses I cooked up were both dishes I've never done before - that's just how I roll. I LOVE to try out new things and who are better guinea pigs than family????
This dish makes an absolutely perfect starter and is full of juices and flavor! From both courses that I cooked, this was the dish that blew me away. It may look so simple (and it is... which is of course the best part!) but damn its good.
Ingredients you will need to make this dish:
Serves 5
10 Asparagus Stalks
1 Roll of Olive Ciabatta
1 Tub of Basil Pesto (if you're lazy and don't fancy making your own pesto, which is also fun! But I was on budget this time around mkay!?)
1 Tub of Spring Onion Cream Cheese
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Course Salt and Pepper
Start by breaking off the ends of your asparagus, the spear will snap off at the right place naturally. Discard the end.
Heat up a skillet with two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and quickly grill asparagus for about three minutes until tender, adding in salt and pepper as you go. Remove from pan and leave to cool.
Drizzle another two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil into your pan and once heated, place your ciabatta into the pan to grill for about two minutes or until slightly crispy.
Spread some cream cheese and pesto paste over your ciabatta, plop a little green leaf on top and finish with two asparagus spears placed crossed over each one another.
What I could do to improve my dish:
So... confession. As always, I muck something up. I wanted to add a bed of rocket to this dish instead of some random piece of lettuce but unfortunately that was the one ingredient I forgot to put down on my shopping list.
Gutted.
But it still tasted great so it wasn't a complete fail. Some rocket wouldn't have gone to waste on this dish though!
Also maybe a drizzle of balsamic reduction which would also add to the presentation and tiny chopped bits of spring onion too.
This is definitely a starter that I will make again when I host my next dinner party. It went down a treat!
I'll do another recipe post tomorrow on what my main was for my lucky brother!
Have a great day guy and remember....
