The sandwich is such an everyday item that I feel almost guilty about turning it into anything too luxurious. But on this occasion I had a few spears of asparagus left. And with the end of the asparagus season sadly upon us, it seemed right to celebrate this prince of English vegetables.
The key building block of a good sandwich is, of course, the bread. Fresh home-made bread can make the simplest sandwich a dish worthy of angels. On this occasion I wanted to honour the asparagus with a complementary bread - a sun-dried tomato loaf (a soft, Italian-style loaf with black olives, tomato passata and oregano as well as a good helping of sun-dried tomatoes). Then there was a soft goats' cheese (I used a very young, spreadable version, but you could use slices of a soft rinded goats' cheese if you prefer.) Finally I added some sweet roasted onions (red or white, it doesn't matter). If you don't have time or inclination to roast the onions, you could use some cherry tomatoes instead. Or just use more asparagus...
If you really want to push the boat out, you could spread the bread with pesto, but I think that might be gilding the lily.
I cooked the asparagus by steaming it for a few minutes - you don't want it soggy - but the microwave will do the job too. The asparagus can be hot or cold, but if you're having it cold, for example in a packed lunch, I recommend plunging it in cold water for a couple of minutes and then draining it, so that you keep the vivid green colour.
Not an everyday sandwich, perhaps, but very good. Only ten months to go till English asparagus comes round again...
Read my recipe for asparagus with sweet potatoes and halloumi
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