Grilled Norfolk Asparagus, Almonds, Saffron and Wild Chervil

Ingredients

• 4 asparagus spears, woody ends removed and stems peeled 1 inch up from the base
• half a loaf of yesterday’s bread, crusts removed and roughly broken into 2 inch pieces
• 500 ml almond milk
• 50 g ground almonds
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
• 100 g toasted flaked almonds
• 20 ml early harvest arbequina olive oil
• a pinch of saffron
• 1 lemon cut in half
• wild chervil for garnish

Method

Place the bread, ground almonds, garlic and saffron in a bowl. Cover with the almond milk and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Then pass through a sieve, retaining the liquid for later.

Transfer the bread mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth, slowly adding the liquid to achieve a loose paste. Add most of the toasted flaked almonds (reserving a handful for garnishing) and the juice of half a lemon. Slowly add the olive oil to emulsify and season to taste with salt.

In salted boiling water, blanch the asparagus for 90-120 seconds (depending on size) and once cooked, submerge into iced water. Drain and pat dry.

Grill the asparagus on a hot griddle until nicely charred and warm through. On a plate give a generous spoon of almond sauce, place over the asparagus and garnish with flaked almonds, fresh wild chervil and a wedge of lemon. Finish with a drizzle of arbequina olive oil.