Not many arrivals in the veg world are as anticipated as the one of the British asparagus. As the first outside crop to be harvested each year in the UK, it truly celebrates the start of spring. And in the kitchen, it marks the days of brighter, lighter flavours and a promise of lunches and dinners outside in the sun.

Asparagus season is short-lived (only from around the 23rd of April – 21st of June), but its versatility can easily make it a weekly staple. From Sunday Lunches like this one, to lemony asparagus risottos or vibrant green salads.

By the way – did you know that each spear of British asparagus is still cut with a knife by hand? It’s a reminder to cherish the produce on our plates not as a single piece of veg, but as one that took hard work and nature’s seasons to make it there.

Ingredients

Vegan Gravy

• 16 green asparagus spears

• 2 onions

• 1 swede

• 2 leeks

• 3 carrots

• 10 thyme

• 25g dried wild mushrooms

• 1 tsp peppercorn

• 1l veg stock (I use River Cottage)

• 15g kombu

• 2 tbsp bread flour

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Bean Purée

• 250g white kidney beans / cannellini beans

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 4 tbsp olive oil

Roast Potatoes

• 1 kg new potatoes

• 10g tarragon

• 8 garlic cloves

• Smoked sea salt

Charred Asparagus

• 16 green asparagus spears

• 1 lemon

Seared King Oyster Mushrooms

• 150g king oyster mushrooms

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp maple syrup

Sourdough Bread Rolls

• 260 ml lukewarm water

• 40 ml olive oil

• 100g sourdough starter

• 1 tbsp golden granulated sugar

• 400g bread flour

• 8g salt

• 2 tbsp non-dairy milk

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1/2 tsp flakey salt

Method

The day before, start with the sourdough bread rolls. Make sure to feed your starter in the morning, around 8 hours before using it for the bread rolls. Then start mixing the dough around 4 pm. Pour 240 ml of the lukewarm water along with all of the olive oil into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the active starter and sugar, then add the flour and mix until no dry flour remains. Cover with a dry tea towel and rest for 30 minutes. Add the salt followed by the remaining water (20 ml) and work the salt into the dough by squeezing the dough through your fingers and folding it over. Let it rest for another 10 minutes, then use the Slap & Fold technique to knead the dough until nearly smooth. Return it to the bowl and cover again. Every 30 minutes, come back to the dough and complete a set of Stretch & Fold with a total of three sets. After the last set, cover and refrigerate overnight (for up to 14 hours).

On this day, also soak the cannellini beans for the bean purée overnight in 3x the amount of water.

The next day, preheat the oven to 200°C. To continue the bread rolls, grease a muffin tray with olive oil. Tip out the dough onto the work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Cut each piece again into three, roll into a small dough ball, stretching it smooth as you go, and place the three bowls into one of the muffin tray moulds. Repeat with the rest. Let it rest for around four hours or until doubled in volume.

For the vegan gravy, start by trimming and peeling the asparagus spears for the charred asparagus (saving the scraps). Keep the prepped spears in a jug of cold water in the fridge while you crack on with the rest. Cut the onion and swede into quarters (you can keep the peel on) and cut the leek and carrots into large chunks. Scatter the pieces along with the asparagus scraps over a large roasting tray with a good glug of olive oil and roast for 1 1/2 hours until golden and caramelised. Add the roasted veg to a sauce pan, followed by the thyme, dried mushrooms, peppercorns, vegetable stock and enough water to cover the veg generously, around one litre (make sure to keep the roasting tray with all the sticky bits for the gravy later). Then bring to a boil and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Cut the kombu into smaller pieces so that it fits the pan and add it to the stock for another 30 minutes. By then, it should have reduced by half. If not, cook it a little longer but remove the kombu before, otherwise it will overpower the flavour. Once done, strain the veg through a sieve, squeezing out the juices with a spoon before discarding the veg.

Add the flour along with another glug of olive oil to the roasting tray and cook it over medium-low heat until it turns a few shades darker into a light golden brown (10 minutes). Stir in the tomato purée and red wine vinegar, then add two ladles of the stock and whisk it into the flour. Add the remaining stock along with 1/4 tsp salt, bring it to a boil and simmer until it coats the back of a spoon in a thick, glossy layer. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Turn off the heat and simply re-heat when needed.

For the bean purée, strain the beans and add them to a sauce pan with double the amount of water and 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer for 40 minutes or until tender. Then drain but keep the cooking liquid. Add the cooked beans to a food processor along with the lemon juice, olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 75 ml (5 tbsp) of the cooking liquid. Blend until smooth and re-heat when needed.

For the roast potatoes, place the spuds on a baking tray, drizzle with 4 tbsp of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of smoked sea salt. Roast for 1 hour. Trim the ends of the garlic cloves (so that you can squeeze out the cloves later) but keep the rest of the peel on (it protects the cloves from turning bitter) and add to the potatoes. Roast for another 30 minutes, then remove the tray from the oven and stir in the tarragon leaves.

To finish the bread rolls, mix together the milk and maple syrup in a small bowl. Brush the rolls with the milk, sprinkle over the salt and bake for 30 minutes in the oven. You can time this so that the rolls bake at the same time when you return the potatoes for the final 30 minutes.

For the charred asparagus, blanch the prepped spears for 2 minutes in heavily seasoned boiling water. Instantly cool them in ice water or under a cold tap to stop them from cooking. Dry the spears with some kitchen paper and grill in a hot griddle-pan around 1 minute on each side until charred.

For the scored king oyster mushrooms, mix together the soy sauce and maple syrup in a small bowl. Cut the mushrooms in half lengthways and score a crisscross pattern into the flat side. Pour some olive oil into a hot pan and fry the mushrooms cut side down until lightly golden. Turn them and brush the scored side with the soy sauce and maple syrup mixture. Then turn again and fry for another 30 seconds.

Serve the bean purée on the plate, followed by the potatoes with extra smoked sea salt, the asparagus with a squeeze of lemon juice, the king oyster mushrooms, the bread rolls and a generous glug of the vegan gravy.

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Vegan Sunday Roast

Not many arrivals in the veg world are as anticipated as the one of the British asparagus. As the first outside crop to be harvested each year in the UK, it truly celebrates the start of spring. And in the kitchen, it marks the days of brighter, lighter flavours and a promise of lunches and dinners outside in the sun.

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Course Main Course

Cuisine British

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Vegan Gravy

• 16 green asparagus spears
• 2 onions
• 1 swede
• 2 leeks
• 3 carrots
• 10 g thyme
• 25 g dried wild mushrooms
• 1 tsp peppercorn
• 1 l veg stock (I use River Cottage)
• 15 g kombu
• 2 tbsp bread flour
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Bean Purée

• 250 g white kidney beans / canillini beans
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp olive oil

Roast Potatoes

• 1 kg new potatoes
• 10 g tarragon
• 8 garlic cloves
• smoked sea salt

Charred Asparagus

• 16 green asparagus spears
• 1 lemon

Seared King Oyster Mushrooms

• 150 g king oyster mushrooms
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp maple syrup

Sourdough Bread Rolls

• 260 ml lukewarm water
• 40 ml olive oil
• 100 g sourdough starter
• 1 tbsp golden granulated sugar
• 100 g bread flour
• 8 g salt
• 2 tbsp plant-based milk
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp flakey salt

Instructions

 

• The day before, start with the sourdough bread rolls. Make sure to feed your starter in the morning, around 8 hours before using it for the bread rolls. Then start mixing the dough around 4 pm. Pour 240 ml of the lukewarm water along with all of the olive oil into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the active starter and sugar, then add the flour and mix until no dry flour remains. Cover with a dry tea towel and rest for 30 minutes. Add the salt followed by the remaining water (20 ml) and work the salt into the dough by squeezing the dough through your fingers and folding it over. Let it rest for another 10 minutes, then use the Slap & Fold technique to knead the dough until nearly smooth. Return it to the bowl and cover again. Every 30 minutes, come back to the dough and complete a set of Stretch & Fold with a total of three sets. After the last set, cover and refrigerate overnight (for up to 14 hours).
• On this day, also soak the canillini beans for the bean purée overnight in 3x the amount of water.
• The next day, pre-heat the oven to 200°C. To continue the bread rolls, grease a muffin tray with olive oil. Tip out the dough onto the work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Cut each piece again into three, roll into a small dough ball, stretching it smooth as you go, and place the three bowls into one of the muffin tray moulds. Repeat with the rest. Let it rest for around four hours or until doubled in volume.
• For the vegan gravy, start by trimming and peeling the asparagus spears for the charred asparagus (saving the scraps). Keep the prepped spears in a jug of cold water in the fridge while you crack on with the rest. Cut the onion and swede into quarters (you can keep the peel on) and cut the leek and carrots into large chunks. Scatter the pieces along with the asparagus scraps over a large roasting tray with a good glug of olive oil and roast for 1 1/2 hours until golden and caramelised. Add the roasted veg to a sauce pan, followed by the thyme, dried mushrooms, peppercorns, vegetable stock and enough water to cover the veg generously, around one litre (make sure to keep the roasting tray with all the sticky bits for the gravy later). Then bring to a boil and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Cut the kombu into smaller pieces so that it fits the pan and add it to the stock for another 30 minutes. By then, it should have reduced by half. If not, cook it a little longer but remove the kombu before, otherwise it will overpower the flavour. Once done, strain the veg through a sieve, squeezing out the juices with a spoon before discarding the veg.
• Add the flour along with another glug of olive oil to the roasting tray and cook it over medium-low heat until it turns a few shades darker into a light golden brown (10 minutes). Stir in the tomato purée and red wine vinegar, then add two ladles of the stock and whisk it into the flour. Add the remaining stock along with 1/4 tsp salt, bring it to a boil and simmer until it coats the back of a spoon in a thick, glossy layer. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Turn off the heat and simply re-heat when needed.
• For the bean purée, strain the beans and add them to a sauce pan with double the amount of water and 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer for 40 minutes or until tender. Then drain but keep the cooking liquid. Add the cooked beans to a food processor along with the lemon juice, olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 75 ml (5 tbsp) of the cooking liquid. Blend until smooth and re-heat when needed.
• For the roast potatoes, place the spuds on a baking tray, drizzle with 4 tbsp of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of smoked sea salt. Roast for 1 hour. Trim the ends of the garlic cloves (so that you can squeeze out the cloves later) but keep the rest of the peel on (it protects the cloves from turning bitter) and add to the potatoes. Roast for another 30 minutes, then remove the tray from the oven and stir in the tarragon leaves.
• To finish the bread rolls, mix together the milk and maple syrup in a small bowl. Brush the rolls with the milk, sprinkle over the salt and bake for 30 minutes in the oven. You can time this so that the rolls bake at the same time when you return the potatoes for the final 30 minutes.
• For the charred asparagus, blanch the prepped spears for 2 minutes in heavily seasoned boiling water. Instantly cool them in ice water or under a cold tap to stop them from cooking. Dry the spears with some kitchen paper and grill in a hot griddle-pan around 1 minute on each side until charred.
• For the scored king oyster mushrooms, mix together the soy sauce and maple syrup in a small bowl. Cut the mushrooms in half lengthways and score a crisscross pattern into the flat side. Pour some olive oil into a hot pan and fry the mushrooms cut side down until lightly golden. Turn them and brush the scored side with the soy sauce and maple syrup mixture. Then turn again and fry for another 30 seconds.
• Serve the bean purée on the plate, followed by the potatoes with extra smoked sea salt, the asparagus with a squeeze of lemon juice, the king oyster mushrooms, the bread rolls and a generous glug of the vegan gravy.

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