food to glow

Yes, you read right: vegan smoky bacon-wrapped asparagus. This whole food ingredient recipe is easy to make, nutritious and great for a light lunch or a snazzy starter. It’s kind of a mind-bender, but hopefully, you know me well enough by now to trust me. xx

1 quantity eggplant bacon, uncooked but marinated*; cut the slices quite thinly if possible

16 spears of asparagus

3 tbsp best quality extra virgin olive oil, divided use (have more for if you want more to drizzle)

150g (or so) dairy or plant-based ricotta cheese (if using bought vegan cheese like Tofutti brand soft cheese, add a little nutritional yeast for best flavour). Here is the cashew ricotta recipe I tend to use.

Zest of half a lemon plus some of the juice if you like

1 tbsp finely chopped mint, lightly crushed with a spoon

1 tsp thyme leaves, lightly crushed with a spoon

Sorrel leaves or baby rocket leaves, for garnish

Herb leaves, such as marjoram or oregano flowers

Salt and fresh black pepper (I’ve used smoked Maldon salt)

Optional, for salad version as shown: fresh juicy peach or nectarine; nasturtium flowers and leaves

Method

Heat the oven to 200C fan/220C/450F.

Prepare the eggplant bacon as instructed in the linked recipe, heating a griddle pan and browning well on both sides until marked and very pliable.

If using, beat the ricotta with the chopped herbs, 1 tbsp of olive oil, the zest, a little lemon juice and some seasoning.

Trim the asparagus spears and lightly toss in 1 tbsp of oil.

Take the cooked and cooled eggplant slices and halve vertically.

If using the ricotta, spoon a little onto one length of the eggplant and wrap around a spear of asparagus. Take another and do the same. Continue with the remaining asparagus, eggplant and ricotta. You will need two strips of eggplant (one full slice halved ) per spear. If you are not using ricotta just wrap the two eggplant slices around each asparagus spear. Place the wrapped asparagus on an oiled baking tray as you go.

Place the tray in the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes, or until lightly crisped. Serve warm on a plate with extra oil, herb flowers and sorrel or rocket leaves. If you like, heat any remaining marinade* and drizzle over the asparagus for extra flavour. For the salad version, slice the peaches and dot amongst the spears, adding more oil and herbs. Serve with best sourdough or other nice bread, and dots of any leftover ricotta mix.