Spring brings all manner of goodies to your local vegetable counter. One of these beautiful vegetables is asparagus. 

Normally asparagus is a premium vegetable, with its hefty price tag leaving it off most shopping lists. But right now it is coming into season and it’s a great time to buy this uniquely flavoured green. 

I hope that you enjoy this recipe, donated by one of the Fairy Godmother Group members, Elle. 

Ingredients (serves 1 for lunch or 2 as a side dish)

Bunch of asparagus

Tablespoon of butter (salted is good, but unsalted is okay if you’re watching your sodium intake)

1 fresh chilli or a quarter teaspoon of dried chilli flakes

1 large clove of garlic

Method

First of all – heat your oven to a med/high heat. 180C is good.

Prepare your asparagus. You can chop the ends off with a knife, but if you hold the middle and the stalk and bend it gently, it will naturally break in the right place.

Place the asparagus in a single layer in an oven dish

If using a fresh chilli, chop it very finely. If you like heat, leave the seeds in… it’s up to you

Crush or very finely chop the garlic

In a pan, gently melt your butter

Once melted, add in the crushed garlic and the chilli and cook slowly for 2  minutes, stirring constantly

Pour the mixture over the asparagus… use a pastry brush to smother it all if need be

Bang it in the oven for 12-15 minutes

Serve hot

Other tips

This is also nice with a few shavings of a hard cheese such as Manchego or Parmesan – add on top as you serve.

Omit the chilli if you don’t like it hot, but perhaps consider a pinch or two of paprika instead