Mark the start of spring (+recipes)

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Spring heralds the first of the strawberries, asparagus and rhubarb; and it's the official start to the whitebait season. All are reasons to celebrate.

Considered a delicacy, New Zealand whitebait are the young of five different native fish, measuring 4.5cm to 5.5cm long, and are caught during spring in tidal river estuaries as the fish move upstream from the sea.

Rhubarb is available all year round, however, in spring it flourishes. Rhubarb's medicinal uses were first recorded in China in 2700BC. Marco Polo, who knew all about the Chinese rhizome rhubarb, talked about it at length. In Italy in 1608, rhubarb was first planted for curative purposes, but it wasn't until 1778 that is was used as a filling for tarts and pies.

The inner part of the rhubarb stalk cooks very quickly — the tougher outer stalk takes longer. It pays to strip or string any tough stalks so they cook more evenly. Rhubarb is often sold with its leaves attached as they help prevent the stalks wilting. However, the leaves should be discarded as they contain toxic amounts of oxalic acid.

Asparagus was first cultivated about 2,500 years ago in Greece and also played a key role in traditional folk medicine. It has since been used as a tonic and a sedative, and also as a treatment for neuritis and rheumatism.

Freshly picked asparagus has the best flavour. Buds opening on the stalk signal that the spear was picked too late and could be tough. Conversely, if the white ends extend too far up the stem, then the asparagus has been picked too early. I like to store asparagus wrapped in wet paper towels in the refrigerator.

To prepare it for cooking, first remove any tough white ends. Bend each spear until it breaks at a natural point. Remove any tough scales with a peeler. Boil in salted water in a frying pan or tie in bundles and steam.

A few years ago, strawberries were a summer fruit. Now New Zealand hydroponically grown, sweet, luscious strawberries hit the markets in spring. A special treat.

Recipes

Rhubarb & Strawberry Coppi

• Pastry crust: 1 & 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• Pinch salt
• 125g very cold butter
• 3 Tbsp icy water
• Filling: 400g strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 4 cups 3cm rhubarb pieces, about 400g
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• Topping: 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3-4 tbsp extra sugar, for sprinkling
• 1 Tbsp butter, diced

1. Combine flour, ground almonds, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Quickly pulse to combine.

2. Cut butter into 2cm pieces. Drop pieces into food processor. Pulse in short bursts until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

3. Add icy water all at once. Pulse until clumps start to form. If it looks a little dry, add a little more water.

4. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

5. To bake, preheat oven to 220°C. Remove dough from refrigerator.

6. Combine strawberries and rhubarb in a bowl. Toss together with sugar. Stir gently until sugar dissolves.

7. On a lightly floured sheet of baking paper, roll dough into a round about 33cm in diameter. Pinch any rough edges together.

8. Pile filling into centre of the pastry to within 5cm of edge. Fold edges of pastry up and over fruit, squeezing together any gaps or folds.

9. Brush pastry with beaten egg. Sprinkle generously with extra sugar. Place a few dots of butter on top of exposed fruit filling. Carefully slide baking paper (with the coppi on it) on to a baking tray.

10. Bake for about 30 minutes, until juices inside the crust are bubbling and the crust is browned.

11. Cool for about 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

12. Great served with custard or whipped cream.

Asparagus Deli Bread

• 250g asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 & 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1 tsp each: dried oregano, thyme, basil
• 100g grated tasty cheese
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 100ml each: milk, olive oil
• 8 each: sundried tomatoes, pitted black olives, patted dry

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Lightly oil a 21cm x 10cm x 6cm loaf pan. Line the base, if preferred.

2. Cut asparagus into 5cm lengths. Blanch in boiling water until crisp-tender. Drain and pat dry.

3. Combine flour and herbs in a large bowl. Add cheese, reserving a little for the top.

4. Combine eggs, milk and olive oil. Stir into flour mixture. Reserve a little asparagus, sundried tomatoes and olives for the top. Add remainder to the dough, mixing carefully.

5. Spoon into prepared pan and place reserved asparagus, sundried tomatoes and olives on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for about 35 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6. Cool for 5 minutes in pan, then turn on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Classic whitebait omelette

• 3 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp cold water
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 25g butter
• 125g whitebait

1. Place eggs, water and seasonings in a bowl and whisk with a fork.

2. Melt butter in a medium-sized, non-stick frying pan on low heat.

3. Add egg mixture and cook on low heat until half set. Slide a spatula under the edges as it cooks.

4. While the top is still a little runny, spread whitebait over it. Continue to cook until egg is almost set. Remove from heat, cover and stand for a few minutes. Fold omelette in half and cut into 2-4 pieces.

Citrus & strawberry toppo

• 1/2 cup tangelo juice
• 2 Tbsp each: sugar, orange liqueur
• 2 cups small strawberries

1. Heat tangelo juice, sugar and liqueur in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Remove from the heat and add the strawberries. Mix carefully. Cover and stand for at least 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

3. Just before serving, cook on low heat until strawberries start to soften.

4. Spoon over icecream, cheesecakes or plain cake.