I have just been on holiday in France for a few days and I love the French style of eating. One of my favourite things are the delicious salads, which often have Walnuts in them. I love walnuts tossed in a little honey and gently roasted but they are a treat I don’t often have. The crunchy salads reminded me of a quick and easy recipe that I like to make now that picnic season is upon us. I like lush Pates and Dips but they aren’t always the best thing as they can be high in fat but this one uses low fat soft cheese and is full of minerals and vitamins. It is delicious, and ideal scooping with crusty bread or even spreading!

Ingredients

1 lb (400 gms) low fat soft cheese
2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh herbs (or substitute 1 tbsp dried)
3 ozs (75 gms) fresh walnuts – pieces are fine
Bread or Carrot and Celery Sticks to serve.

Method

Put all the ingredients into a bowl or food processor and mix until well blended.

Put the mixture into a dish and smooth the top.

Cover and put into the fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes

Serve with chunks of bread or vegetables to scoop up the pate.

Serves 3 or 4 as a Starter sized portion

1 Round (about 1lb or 400 gms) Sprue Asparagus
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 mls) Olive Oil
1 tbsp (15 gms) plain flour
30 fl oz (300 mls) light vegetable stock
30 fl oz (300 mls) milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut the tips off the Asparagus and put to one side, cut the rest of the stems into pieces about 1 inch long.
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the finely chopped onion, cook gently until softened but not brown.
Add the cut asparagus spears, but not the tips and cook for a few minutes.
Add the flour and continue to cook for one or two minutes.
Add the stock slowly, stirring gently, then add the milk.
Cook gently until the asparagus is softened.
Pass the mixture through a blender and then pour through a sieve into a clean pan to remove any stringy bits of asparagus – or you can just use a mouli, it takes a little longer but you get a better texture.
Add the asparagus tips and heat through gently.
Season to taste.

Serve with Brown Bread and Butter.

Serves 6

For more Asparagus recipes you can try Chris Sheehan’s wonderful book – A Passion For Asparagus