Cathi Barker (www.cathi.co.nz)

Mum's Asparagus Dish
Ingredients
1 can of asparagus (or 10 sprigs of fresh blanched asparagus)
1Tbsp. butter
Pinch of salt
Breadcrumbs
3 eggs
2 Tbsps flour
1 cup of milk
Grated cheese.

Drain the asparagus and save the juice. Hard boil 3 eggs. Leave to cool and then shell them. In a saucepan melt butter, add flour, salt and stir until well mixed. Add milk gradually, till texture is smooth. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of grated cheese and stir until melted. Grease serving dish with butter. Add a layer of asparagus. Pour a little sauce over. Add a layer of sliced egg. More sauce over this. Add another layer of asparagus more sauce and more egg if you have some. Finish with sauce on the top. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and a little grated cheese. Heat in the oven until warmed through and serve.

Honey Pickled Asparagus
Ingredients
20 even-sized stalks asparagus
2 tablespoons salt
2½ cups cider or white wine vinegar
¼ cup runny honey
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoons celery seeds
1 tablespoon dill seeds
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns (black or white)

Cut or break off and discard the woody end of each asparagus stalk. Place the asparagus in a wide, deep bowl and sprinkle over the salt. Pour in sufficient cold water to cover and set aside for 2 hours. Heat together the vinegar, honey, bay leaves, mustard, celery and dill seeds and black peppercorns and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cool. Drain the asparagus well. Blanch, in batches, for 1 minute in boiling water and then refresh in ice-cold water. Drain well and pat dry on absorbent paper and pack into a tall 1-litre capacity jar. Pour the cold vinegar over the asparagus. Seal and label.

Italian Asparagus Salad
Ingredients
1/2 cup Blue Cheese
Italian Vinaigrette Dressing
500g fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 roasted red peppers, packed in water, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Bring a preserving pan of water to a boil. Cook asparagus for 1 minute. Drain. Rinse and cool under cold water. Pat asparagus dry with paper towels. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast pine nuts for 5-7 minutes. Cool. Arrange asparagus on a platter, top with peppers and parsley. Pour Italian Blue Cheese Crumble Dressing over all. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. Serve.

Asparagus and three cheese tart
Ingredients
2 sheets frozen short crust pastry
125g cream cheese
250g ricotta
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
2 eggs
2 slices roasted capsicum (optional)
1/2 red onion, roasted (optional)
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed, halved

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place pastry sheets on a work surface and leave to defrost, about 10 minutes. Cut the pastry to fit a rectangular tart tin or slice tray (mine is 16cm x 26cm x 3cm). Line with non-stick baking paper and rice/pasta/pastry weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Reduce heat to 160°C. Place cream cheese in a food processor and whiz until smooth. Add ricotta, parmesan, eggs, capsicum and onion (if using) and whiz until smooth and combined. Spread cheese filling into pastry case. Arrange asparagus halves on the top of the cheese mixture, I like to alternate tops and tails. Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes or until just set. Serve warm on its own as an entrée or with a green salad and crusty bread for a meal.