Lamb in Asparagus Cream

Thanks to the Romans' penchant for asparagus, we have this delectable seasonal vegetable in Britain. It has always been a luxury affordable to the rich, but with today's extensive farming of this crop, it is available to almost everyone, even if it's only once in a while. After all, it is only available for two months of the year, so as they say, "make hay while the sun shines"; spoil yourself and graze some 'sparrow grass'.

I've been looking for all the ideas I can get for using this amazing little veg and was amazed to find this classic recipe in one of my old cookbooks. Who would have thought to put creamed asparagus in a stew?! The original recipe comes from the Argenteuil region of France, just north-west of Paris, where asparagus is grown, but the tender early British asparagus gives just as good a flavour to this succulent lamb stew.

Ingredients:
1kg asparagus
1 kg boned shoulder of lamb
4 small onions
30g butter
30ml flour
5ml steak and chop seasoning
125ml double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
juice of half a lemon

Method:
Wash the asparagus, but do not trim. Cook in a large pan of lightly salted water for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and set the cooking liquid aside. Cut of the tips about 3 inches down the spears and set aside. Put the rest of the spears in a liquidiser or blender and puree. Pass the puree through a sieve and discard any course and stringy bits.

Cut the lamb into 1-2 inch cubes. Toss in seasoned flour to coat evenly. Peel and roughly chop the onions.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and brown the meat. Once the meat is seared on all sides add the onions and cook together until the onions are browned. Gradually blend in about 250ml asparagus cooking liquid, stirring continuously until the sauce is smooth and creamy.

Simmer for about an hour until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally. If the liquid evaporates too much, cover the saucepan with a lid.

When the meat is cooked and tender, stir the asparagus puree and cream into the sauce. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the lemon juice. The sauce should be fairly thick.

Arrange the asparagus tips around the edge of a warm serving dish and spoon the meet and sauce into the middle. Serve with boiled baby potatoes in their jackets with a parsley butter sauce.