Asparagus, ricotta and toast

Sometimes you just can't beat toast. Quick, easy, and with the right toppings (whether it's just good butter or something fancier) downright delicious. Oh, and it's a great way to give a new lease of life to bread that's gone slightly stale.

New season English asparagus doesn't need too much to make it a delicious meal. Here I've griddled it to seal in all the flavour, then perched it on top of creamy, garlicky ricotta and of course, some toast. I flavoured the ricotta with some wild garlic that I picked in Sussex at the weekend, but spinach or fresh basil will make a fine substitute.

These quantities serve 2 but could easily be halved for a lunch or supper for one.

Ingredients

 

Serves 2

4 slices bread, preferably sliced from a good-quality loaf (slightly stale will be fine)
8-12 spears asparagus
250g / 9oz ricotta
75g/ 3oz wild garlic (or spinach plus 3 cloves garlic or a small bunch basil leaves)
Tomatoes, wild garlic flowers, and/ or salad leaves, to serve (optional)

Method

Heat a griddle pan. Trim the tough ends from the asparagus spears. Place the asparagus on the griddle and cook over a high heat, turning one or twice, for about five minutes or until blackened in places and cooked all the way through (you can cut a small piece off the thick end of one spear to check).

While the asparagus is cooking, cook the garlic (or spinach and garlic cloves - chop the garlic cloves if using) in the microwave or a dry saucepan for a couple of minutes until wilted. (If using basil instead, don't cook the basil). Then put the wild garlic/ spinach and garlic/ basil leaves in a blender or food processor, along with the ricotta and plenty of black pepper. Blend until you have a creamy dip speckled with green.

Toast the bread to your liking. Pile the flavoured ricotta onto the hot toast, and top with the griddled asparagus, Garnish with wild garlic flowers or a couple more basil leaves, if you like. Eat immediately.