I remember being a waiter in a restaurant when Princess Margaret came to dinner – a very late after-theatre supper for 25. The guests came dressed in bow ties and long dresses, and sat down not to a feast but to a single course: just six fat spears of asparagus on a large, white plate with hollandaise sauce. They ate, washed their hands in the silver finger bowls then got up and left. I had yet to eat asparagus and remember thinking how special these long green spears must be if they were the only thing a princess had for dinner.

The charms of that vegetable have never dimmed. Asparagus is still special, luxurious and somehow magical. It is one of the delights of early summer and, like the first strawberries, we must be quick if we are to make the most of it.

Strawberries are a joy eaten unadorned, but we can have fun with them, too, as I did this week, stuffing them into plump choux buns.

Asparagus pakora



I never tire of asparagus, but I do use it more liberally as the season draws to a close. Those early-season spears get little more than a silk coat of hollandaise but, later, they turn up in tarts and salads. The thin, young spears are perfect tempura material, taking very little time to cook. Fatter stems need more time, so a thicker pakora-style batter made with chickpea flour is well suited.

Serves 2-4

gram flour 150g

ground hot chilli 1 tsp

ground turmeric 1 tsp

ground coriander 1 tsp

water 150ml

asparagus 150g

oil for deep frying

For the raita:

lime 1, ripe and turning yellow

avocado 1

natural yogurt 200g

ginger 30g

groundnut oil 1 tbsp

yellow mustard seeds 1 tsp

nigella seeds 1 tsp

Make the batter: put the gram flour into a medium-sized bowl, then add the ground chilli, turmeric and coriander and mix together thoroughly. Pour in the water, beating out any lumps with a small whisk, then set aside to rest.

Trim the asparagus, discarding the ends of the stalks, and cut the spears into short lengths.

Make the raita; grate the zest from the lime and put most of it in a small mixing bowl, reserving a little for later. Take care not to include any of the bitter white pith. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Halve, stone and peel the avocado, roughly chop the flesh, then crush into the lime juice using a fork. Stir the yogurt into the avocado.

Peel the ginger and grate it, using a very fine-toothed grater, producing a thick, ivory-coloured purée. Stir most of it into the yogurt, setting a little aside for later. Warm the groundnut oil in a shallow pan over a moderate heat. Add the mustard and nigella seeds and warm until fragrant and the mustard seeds turn a slightly darker shade. Spoon the seeds and oil over the surface of the raita, then sprinkle over the reserved lime zest and ginger.

Get the deep-frying oil hot, bringing it slowly to 180C on a cooking thermometer. Stir the batter a couple of times then add the asparagus, coating each piece thoroughly. When the oil is up to temperature, lift the pieces of asparagus with a pair of kitchen tongs and lower carefully into the hot oil. They should sizzle immediately.

Let the asparagus cook for 4 or 5 minutes, turning as necessary, until the batter is pale gold. Lift each one out with a draining spoon or tongs, and place on kitchen paper for a few seconds before piling on to a serving dish. Bring to the table with the raita.

Strawberry ricotta puffs



Sweet on you: strawberry ricotta puffs. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin/The Observer

At cookery school in Paris we filled crisp choux balls with strawberry sorbet. Once the buns were risen, we took them from the oven, cut them open and returned them to the heat to dry out. Woe betide anyone with a soggy centre.

Serves 4

For the buns:

water 125ml

butter 50g

strong white flour 75g

salt a pinch

egg 2, beaten

beaten egg a little, for glazing

For the pistachio sugar:

caster sugar 40g

shelled pistachios 30g

mint leaves 16

For the filling:

raspberries 100g

strawberries 200g

double cream 150ml

ricotta 100g

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

For the buns, pour the water into a pan, add the butter and let it melt. Add the flour and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon to a thick paste, then remove from the heat. Transfer to the bowl of a food mixer and add the 2 beaten eggs, a little at a time, beating fast with a flat paddle attachment. When you have a thick, creamy dough, divide into 4, placing it in spoonfuls on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between. Brush gently with a little beaten egg then bake for about 25 minutes until crisp and puffed up. Slice each bun open to let the steam out then return to the oven for 5 minutes. Cool the buns on a wire cooling rack.

To make the pistachio sugar, put all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and process to a fragrant, bright green sugar and set aside.

For the filling, blitz the raspberries in a food processor then push through a sieve to extract the seeds. Thinly slice the strawberries then toss them in the raspberry purée. Lightly whip the cream and fold gently into the ricotta, then stir in half the pistachio sugar.

Open each bun and fill with some of the ricotta, then the fruit. Close and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.

Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter@NigelSlater

Greenfeast: Spring, Summer by Nigel Slater is out now (4th Estate, £22). To order a copy for £16.99, go to guardianbookshop.com



