Quick and delicious: asparagus, cheese and tomatoes on toast

I realised that we're more than half way through English asparagus season, and I hadn't posted any asparagus recipes. Here is a really simple but delicious one to get you started.

This is one of those occasions when using a quality loaf of bread really does make all the difference.

Serves 2 for lunch or supper, or four as a starter

Ingredients

Eight asparagus spears
Four slices cut from a loaf of good quality bread (eg sourdough)
1 clove garlic
Three tomatoes
1 small round goats' cheese

Method

Trim the woody ends of the asparagus and put them on a preheated griddle pan, turning once twice, until they are tender and striped with black. If you resist turning them too often you will get more satisfying black stripes.

Once the asparagus is cooked, toast the bread on the griddle until it too is lighly striped (you can do this in a toaster or under the grill if you prefer.)

Rub the toast on one side with the clove of garlic. Slice the tomatoes and arrange the slices on the toast. Slice the goats' cheese and put them on top. Place under the grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted. If your asparagus has got cold by now, you can reheat it in a microwave briefly, then add it to the toast, or put it on top of the toast and give it a final 30 seconds under the grill.