• 1 lb Asparagus, trimmed
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbsp Milk
• 1 cup of fine dry bread crumbs
• Olive oil for frying
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 4 oz freshly grated cheese

METHOD:

• Cook asparagus spears in boiling salted water until barely tender. Drain on paper towels.

• In wide bowl, beat egg with milk. Dip asparagus spears into egg mixture, then into bread crumbs.

• Heat enough oil to cover asparagus to 360 degrees in deep fryer or large skillet. Diameter of pan should exceed length of spears.

• Fry coated asparagus ,a few at a time, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

• Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with grated cheese

THE BASICS To prepare, trim off any woody base with a very sharp knife, a swivel peeler or a dedicated asparagus trimmer. You can leave the base on if you prefer to pick the spears up with your fingers chomp away at the tip, chew down to the stringy part and leave the end, sucked clean on the side of the plate. All the trimmings can be used to make a delicious soup or a stock base both of which can be frozen.

Lots of theories abound about the best way to cook asparagus, You may steam the fully trimmed spears or with the whole spear pack bundles in a large pan and pour in boiling water to first cook the base then top it up with more boiling water to tenderise the tips, Drain off all the water and run a gentle stream of cold water over them until chilled. To reheat drop into a large pan of rapidly boiling water for a few minutes, remove and drain on a kitchen cloth.

The spears can also be roasted . . . wonderful with chopped red peppers, peeled tomatoes, garlic and olive oil, cooked until just charred, serve with lots of crusty bread to soak up the juices.