The first taste of English asparagus always feels like a quiet celebration, and those fresh, green spears snap with promise after the long winter. That same thrill echoes in the hills of Palestine, where foraging for wild asparagus becomes a small adventure. Eyes scan the ground for slender shoots hiding among thorns, and each find is a victory. At home in the UK, however, I'm obsessed with encasing them in pastry and turning the season's simplest treasure into a showstopper. I like to serve that with fattoush, and I can't help but groan whenever I think of my mum's one; nothing quite matches that comforting bowl with its tangy buttermilk dressing. It's the version I grew up on, and it's the one still made across our family. This take has its own charm, though: vibrant, crunchy, herby, and full of tomatoes, cucumbers and toasted pitta.
Asparagus, goat's cheese and za'atar tart (pictured top)
Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into ½cm-thick slices
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
320g sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
180g soft goat's cheese
80g cheddar, grated
1 large egg, lightly whisked, plus 1 extra yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water, to glaze
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1½ tsp lemon zest
1½ tbsp fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
280g thin asparagus, woody ends cut off and discarded
1½ tbsp za'atar
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Lay the onion slices on a lined oven tray, brush with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt on both sides, then roast for 15 minutes, until slightly golden and soft.
Unroll the pastry on to a shallow oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, then prick it all over with a fork, but avoiding the outer edges.
In a medium bowl, mix the goat's cheese, 60g of the cheddar, the whole egg, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, a third of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper, until the mix is a spreadable consistency. Spread this all over the pastry, leaving a 2½cm border all around the edge.
Toss the asparagus with a tablespoon of olive oil, half a tablespoon of za'atar, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Arrange the asparagus evenly on top of the goat's cheese mix, slightly overlapping the spears, so the cheese is covered. Arrange the roast red onion slices on top, then sprinkle over the remaining cheddar. Fold over the edges of the pastry, then brush the exposed pastry with the egg yolk and water glaze. Sprinkle the remaining za'atar all over the edges and bake for 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the bottom is cooked through.
Remove from the oven, leave to rest for a few minutes, then serve with the fattoush below.
Fridge-raid fattoush
I return to this version often, letting it change with the seasons and according to whatever I have to hand. Each addition brings a slightly different texture and brightness to the plate.
Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 4
2 stale wholewheat pittas
300g cherry tomatoes
1 large cucumber (300g)
1 red pepper (150g)
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
½ tbsp pomegranate molasses
3 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
â…› tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp sumac, plus extra for sprinkling
Salt
100g radishes, thinly sliced
3 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
15g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
10g mint, thinly shredded
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Split open the pittas, arrange them on an oven tray, making sure they don't overlap, then toast for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Remove and leave to cool, then break into bite-sized pieces.
Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half and put them in a large bowl. Deseed the cucumber, then cut it into 1cm cubes and add to the bowl. Remove and discard the stalk, core, pith and seeds from the pepper, then cut the flesh into 1cm dice and add to the bowl, too. Add the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, spices and a half-teaspoon of salt, and give everything a good mix.
Add the radishes, spring onions and herbs, toss well so everything gets coated in the dressing. Just before serving, add the toasted pitta and give the salad another good mix.
