Asparagus springs in to season

FOR me, spring is the best season in the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, winter's great for cooking wholesome, warming meals with all of Scotland's winter vegetables, but this is a great time to make lighter, fresher dishes using the whole variety of ingredients coming into season.

One of our firm favourites is asparagus. Since being labelled a "superfood" recently, it has had a bit of a resurgence and is becoming increasingly popular.

Not only does asparagus grow right on Edinburgh's doorstep in East Lothian, but it's also really versatile and lends itself to a variety of dishes.

Asparagus has a very short season, which is just about to start so make sure to make the most of it, because you can only buy fresh, local asparagus in May and June. However, as winter has stayed around a bit longer this year, the asparagus crop may well be a couple of weeks late.

Freshness is vital to the success of any asparagus dish today. Asparagus is one of the foods that won't travel well and, coming from abroad, it can be rather limp and almost jet-lagged. Try Edinburgh's farmers' market or local grocers for fresh asparagus that was picked just a day or so earlier.

Fresh asparagus doesn't need much work at all. For one of the quickest ways to enjoy it, simply blanch the spears for a few minutes, add a drizzle of olive oil, some black pepper and a few shavings of parmesan.

Most of us know the traditional way of serving asparagus with a smooth, creamy hollandaise sauce, potatoes and bacon, but it can be prepared in many more ways.

In Asian cuisine, it is often stir-fried with chicken, shrimp or beef. You can also use it for soups or stews and it's delicious quickly grilled over charcoal – and so ideal for the barbecue.

If you prefer a fresher dish, an asparagus salad might be for you. In the restaurant, we like to serve it as a starter, with pink grapefruit and your choice of salad leaves, and it is easily prepared in less than 20 minutes.

To create a more substantial dish, all you have to do is add a piece of grilled chicken or fish, such as pan-fried sea bass or salmon.

Not only is Scottish asparagus very tasty, it is also packed with goodness, as it contains more folic acid than any other vegetable, which helps regulate blood pressure and keep your heart healthy.

Then there are its large quantities of vitamins A and C, which help boost the immune system.

But health benefits aside, its real star quality lies in its versatility. Combining the vegetable with eggs makes a great main course. If you like to try something new, use duck eggs as a delicious alternative to free-range chicken's eggs.

If it's not on your shopping list already, give asparagus a try this spring – you won't be disappointed. It's in season now, grows right outside Edinburgh and you'll be spoilt for choice of ways to prepare it.

• Jason Gallagher is head chef and proprietor of The Stockbridge Restaurant, 54 St Stephen Street, 0131-226 6766.

RECIPES

Asparagus salad with pink grapefruit and a lime and poppy seed dressing (serves four as starter)

Ingredients for the salad:
20 spears of asparagus
2 pink (ruby red) grapefruit
1 packet green beans
1 red onion
Salad leaves – your choice of frisee, radicchio or lolo rosso
1 cucumber

Ingredients for the lime & poppy seed dressing:
4 limes
Extra virgin olive oil
Pomace olive oil
1tbsp poppy seeds

Method:
Blanch asparagus in boiling water until it is cooked 'al dente'. Once cooked, put the spears into iced water. Remove cucumber seeds with an apple corer and cut into thin slices or dice finely, if you prefer. Segment the pink grapefruit. Blanch the green beans similar to asparagus. Slice the red onion and cut into thin rings or dice finely. Arrange the salad on four plates.

Keep the poppy seeds aside. Segment two limes and juice the other two. Mix the oils with each other so that there is half and half of each. Then mix all dressing ingredients together with a hand-held blender until you like the taste and it is not too sharp. Finally add poppy seeds. Drizzle over top of salad.

Poached duck egg, wild mushrooms and chargrilled asparagus with crostini and basil hollandaise (serves 4 as main course)

Ingredients:

20 asparagus spears
300g mixed wild mushrooms
4 duck eggs (can be replaced with regular free-range eggs)
4 slices of baguette to make the crostini

Ingredients for the basil hollandaise sauce:
2tbsp white wine vinegar
2tbsp water
1tsp lightly crushed white peppercorns
4 egg yolks
250g unsalted butter
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of cayenne pepper
2tbsp basil pesto (shop bought is fine)

Method:
Peel and blanch asparagus in boiling water until it is cooked 'al dente' (from 2-7 minutes depending on thickness of asparagus). Sautee the mushrooms until tender. Poach the duck eggs until soft. Cut the baguette into four even slices, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt and bake in the oven at a medium heat until golden brown.

For the hollandaise sauce, clarify the butter and put it aside.

Place vinegar, water and peppercorns in small heavy-based pan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for one minute. Remove from heat and leave to cool before straining into a heatproof bowl. Add egg yolks and basil pesto and whisk until the mixture is even.

Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water so that the bottom is just above the water. Now whisk the mixture for 5-6 minutes or until it thickens and is smooth in texture. Take the bowl off the heat and slowly pour in the clarified butter, whisking until the sauce is thick. Finally add the lemon juice and season with salt, white pepper and cayenne pepper.

Stack the ingredients on four plates and pour the hollandaise sauce over each dish. Serve immediately.