Pan-roasted asparagus with wild garlic and white bean hummus, spring onion and hazelnut pesto
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Joey O'Hare serves up a stunning salad of asparagus, served atop a cannellini bean hummus recipe delicately flavoured with seasonal wild garlic. A spring onion and hazelnut pesto top off this elegant vegan starter beautifully, with the spring onions lightly roasted to bring out their natural sweetness.
Ingredients
Grilled asparagus
- 16 asparagus spears
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 pinch of thyme leaves , finely chopped
- 1 pinch of fine sea salt
Spring onion and hazelnut pesto
- 8 spring onions
- 30g of blanched hazelnuts , toasted and chopped
- 1 handful of fresh parsley , finely chopped
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 1/2 lemon , juiced
- 60ml of olive oil, plus 1 tbsp to roast the spring onions
- salt
- pepper
Wild garlic and white bean hummus
- 240g of cannellini beans , (1 drained tin)
- 10 wild garlic leaves
- 30ml of olive oil
- 2 tbsp of tahini
- 1 small lemon , juiced
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds , toasted and ground
- salt
- pepper
To garnish
- 2 handfuls of baby mixed salad leaves
- wild garlic flowers
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
2
To begin, make the spring onion and hazelnut pesto. Top and tail the spring onions and cut into 1cm lengths. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil, season with a pinch of sea salt and roast for 8 minutes
3
Allow the spring onions to cool slightly before mixing with the chopped hazelnuts, finely chopped parsley, cider vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning
4
To make the white bean hummus, purée the cannellini beans, wild garlic leaves, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, cumin and seasoning until you have a smooth hummus
5
When you're ready to cook, cut the tough woody root end from each asparagus spear. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Once hot, add the asparagus – they should sizzle immediately. You may need to do this in two batches. Season with sea salt
6
Cook for 2–4 minutes only, depending on thickness, to char the exterior of the asparagus yet retain a good texture. Add the chopped thyme for the final 15 seconds of cooking, then transfer the spears onto a square of kitchen roll to cool slightly before serving
7
Spoon some hummus onto each plate, followed by 4 asparagus spears and a generous dollop and drizzle of the roasted spring onion pesto. Garnish with some baby leaves and wild garlic flowers and serve immediately
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Pan-roasted asparagus with wild garlic and white bean hummus, spring onion and hazelnut pesto
