Tip top saturday lunch - duck egg, asparagus and brown shrimp

Asparagus, duck eggs and brown shrimp

This week has been one for first time adventures. 

1 - I went to the wonderful Turkish restaurant Empires, for Z's birthday. I've been meaning to go for about 3 years. I’m always tardy.

2 - I've had my cooking filmed (just weird).

3 - I cracked my duck egg virginity. Pardon the pun, genuinely sorry, couldn’t resist. 

Duck egg with asparagus and brown shrimp

The filming was for a friend of a friend so I was happy to help out but gees was it weird. I’m so used to just being an idiot in the kitchen, dancing around, singing badly, somehow I didn’t feelcomfortable doing that with someone I had just met for the first time. I wonder if that is how Delia feels when the film crew is in her home? Does she also dance to 80s tunes in her bare feet? 

On to the duck eggs. Yep I've never had one before today. It took me 3 Stockbridge deli's before Mr Bower the butcher came up trumps with the eggy gold.  If you have never had them before, they really were lovely. The egg white was meant to be denser but to be honest I never noticed any difference. My only observations were that it is slightly larger than a large hen's egg, and the yolk was more rich and buttery. Yolk was all that was needed to dress this dish. Who needs a hollandaise when you have a runny duck egg yolk?

Fried duck eggs

Duck egg with asparagus and brown shrimp - serves 2 as a light lunch

The recipe was based on a dish in Mark Hix's "British Seasonal Food"

2 duck eggs

140g asparagus spears

60g cooked brown shrimp or potted shrimp

veg oil

seasoning

Boil the asparagus in a pan of salted water for 2-3 minutes depending on the thickness. 

In the mean time heat a frying pan on a medium to low heat with a little oil and add the eggs. 

Spoon over any excess oil over the eggs, to cook the top of them.

Add the shrimp to the eggs.

Drain the asparagus and add to the eggs.

Season.

Serve and enjoy.

Tip top saturday lunch - asparagus, duck egg and brown shrimp

Princess and the pea soup

Broad beans

Ok, I admit there are no peas in this soup (but there are broad beans) and needless to say I am not a princess. I guess I wanted to tempt you, ma bad. Essentially this soup is a kind of minestrone except when I think of minestrone I think of horrible thick, sludgy reddish stuff we used to get at school. This is a much classier affair, light and tasty.

Last week I was away with old friends in Gozo, a tiny island in the Mediterranean. So quiet and beautiful. On walks in the area surrounding the farmhouse we saw little terraced fields; rows of broad beans, asparagus and spring onions all together in neat lines, baked by the sun. I guess my exploring of this little corner of “our pale blue dot” inspired me with this dish. It truly was a charming place; wild artichokes in the hedgerows, the clearest waters and outrageously good seafood. 

      courgette, broad beans and asparagus

This is a nice little diner dish, it is really quick if you don’t bother peeling the broad beans. However, my perfectionist tendencies won over. I think I've been watching too much “Great British Menu”. It took me ages but personally I found it therapeutic. I'm sad that way. Any left over roast chicken it would make a welcome addition to this dish.

princess and the pea soup, spring green minestrone

Princess and the pea soup - serves 2

800ml chicken stock

2 handfuls of orzo pasta

8 asparagus spears

6 baby courgettes

2 handfuls of broad beans

4-5 spring onions, finely chopped

Seasoning

In a pan, heat the heat stock up to a rolling boil.

Add in the pasta, it will take about 8 minutes to cook.

Add in the vegetables after about 5 minutes or so depending on their size.

After 7 minutes add spring onions.

Season to taste.

Enjoy.