On the way to work, we pass kilometre after kilometre of asparagus fields on the flat plains of KooWeeRup. I’ve watched pickers, armed with long handled sequesters, lean over slightly, hold the tip and cut the asparagus stalk as we drive by early in the morning. It’s a wonder that asparagus is so cheap in the local markets considering the labour intensive harvesting! But then, the KooWeeRup fields produce roughly 90% of Australian grown asparagus.

After seeing these workers pick asparagus, I thought I’d make an asparagus tart to celebrate spring, a delicious combination of asparagus with julienne lemon zest and flaked almonds. The tart base is plant-based and gluten free with a cashew cheese filling.

I use julienne lemon zest with flaked almonds on top of the blanched asparagus tart. To julienne lemon zest, peel the lemon lengthwise with a vegetable hand-peeler in 4-6cm strips, not putting too much pressure on the peeler so you peel only the zest and not the white bitter pith. Cut each strip lengthwise in 1-2mm slices. You should have about 1/3 cup loosely packed julienned lemon slices. Use the julienned lemon slices right away or place them in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to a day because they quickly lose their flavor when stored.

Health benefits –

·       Asparagus is a very good source of fibre, folate, and vitamins.

·       Asparagus is packed with antioxidants that help to get rid of cell-damaging free radicals. Like leafy greens, asparagus contains folate, which works with vitamin B12 to help with thinking and concentration.

ZESTY ASPARAGUS TART

Use a 35 cm x 13 cm tart pan

PB, V, DF, GF

Pastry case:

2½ cups (300 g) white spelt flour or GF flour

pinch of sea salt

1 cup (225 g) cold non-dairy butter

5-6 tbsp chilled water

Cashew cheese:

1 cup (140 g) raw cashews

1 garlic clove

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 tbsp (11 g) nutritional yeast

pinch of sea salt

¼ cup (62 ml.) water

Toppings:

3 bunches of asparagus

1 firm lemon

flaked almonds

To make the filling, soak the cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain and add to a blender with all the ingredients. Blitz until the cheese is smooth and creamy.

Preheat the oven to 180’C. Grease the tart pan with coconut oil. To make the pastry, add flour and salt to the food processor and pulse. Cut the non-butter into chunks and add to the food processor. Process until mixed and clumpy. Add the chilled water and process the dough so comes together. Dust the kitchen bench and rolling pin with flour. Take the dough from the processor and form into a ball. Roll the dough ball, turning and rolling the dough until it forms a disk of 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter. Line your tart pan with the dough, trimming the excess with a knife. Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to serve.

Snap wooden ends off the asparagus stalks. Blanch the asparagus in a large fry pan with a little water on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove and plunge into chilled water to stop the cooking process.

Before serving, spoon the cashew cheese onto the base and spread with the back of a spoon. Arrange the asparagus stalks in rows on top of the filling, top with julienne lemon zest (see how to above) and flaked almonds.