Asparagus crostini with confit garlic aioli
Asparagus crostini with confit garlic aioli – suitable for garden parties and summer gatherings.
Asparagus crostini with confit garlic aioli
Asparagus is in full season this month – and it also happens to be my absolute favourite spring vegetable. I always keep a bunch in my fridge, stored upright in a glass with a little water. I learned this tip a few years ago from a fellow asparagus aficionado – and also use it for fresh herbs (especially parsley and dill).
As for this recipe, the easiest part is cooking the asparagus. I like to blanch it in salted water, and then gently toss it in a bit of extra virgin olive oil – it gives it a bit of extra flavour. Italians would probably use ciabatta, but I wouldn’t fuss too much about it. At the end of the day, any good bread will do.
Now for the confit garlic aioli. This is a slightly time consuming one. But all worth it if you ask me. The thing is – I’m not a big fan of raw garlic. So I try to avoid it as much as I can. But give me confit garlic any time of the day and we’ll be good friends – I promise. The bad news is that it takes a while to prepare. But the good news is that you can make a big batch in advance – and store it in the fridge for about 4-5 weeks (that is, if you don’t use it in the first week, as I do). There’s a very good recipe for garlic confit here – and a few ideas on how to use it, if you wish to dig deeper.
This recipe is the first from #theweeklyingredientbyandra project, hosted on Instagram. If you want to get involved, follow me on Instagram at @mintandrosemary and check my stories on Friday morning.
Asparagus Crostini with Confit Garlic Aioli
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 8 slices baguette or ciabatta
for the confit garlic aioli
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp mustard
- 250 ml rapeseed oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 100 ml sunflower oil
for seasoning
- Maldon salt
- olive oil extra virgin
- greek basil
- black pepper ground
- lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 100C.
- Put the 100 ml of sunflower oil and garlic cloves in a small pan and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the garlic is soft. Take the garlic out with a slotted spoon and allow it to cool at room temperature. To make the aioli, put the garlic, egg yolk and mustard in a food processor and blitz to a paste. Gradually add the rapeseed oil and continue mixing until you get a thick sauce. Season with salt.
- Turn the oven heat up to 160C.Place the baguette slices on to a baking sheet, season with salt and a drizzle of oilve oil and place in the oven at 160C for 10-15 minutes, until the bread becomes crispy.
- Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to boil and blanch the asparagus for about 2-3 minutes. Once blanched, take the asparagus out and set it aside on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil.
- To assemble the crostini, place a teaspoon of ailoi on each slice of bread. Add the asparagus and Greek basil. Season with freshly ground black pepper and lemon zest.
Notes
Strawberries are also in season this month, and I’ve got a delicious strawberry and gorgonzola crostini recipe here – check it out!
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