I’m curious about all aspects of food: where dishes come from, the social context in which they’re eaten, how certain recipes came about and how they have changed over time. I was born in Portugal, a country whose citizens have been travelling and trading foods for centuries. Our culinary presence is felt all over the world, and our cuisine is rich with influences from the South Pacific, Japan and Asia to Central and South America and Africa. Having been lucky enough to travel myself, I’ve found some spectacular local dishes and techniques and apply them to British seasonal ingredients; these migas make use of the last of the asparagus glut. Migas or “crumbs” is a dish from the Alentejo region, traditionally made from leftover bread for breakfast. Here, they’re much fresher, more fragrant and healthier than the originals, which are cooked in pork fat. If you can, get hold of wild sorrel, it’s abundant in parks and alongside canals all over the country, but pay attention to picking and consuming safely.
Asparagus migas with sorrel, fennel and garlic
(Serves 4)
500ml apple juice
2 bunches of coriander, washed
1 bunch of sorrel, washed (wild, if possible)
Sea salt
Half a loaf of crusty country bread, cubed
White pepper
1 bunch of large green asparagus, trimmed
1 bunch of large white asparagus, trimmed
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 lemon
In a blender, mix the apple juice with two thirds of the coriander, most of the sorrel and some salt, and process until smooth. Pour over the bread and mix until the liquid is absorbed, making a bright green paste. Season with salt and white pepper and set aside.
Halve and reserve four spears of white and four of green asparagus and chop the rest into rounds.
In a large pan, add half of the oil, garlic and the remaining coriander and gently heat. Add the asparagus rounds and fry for one minute. Add the bread paste and and mix well to incorporate. Re-season.
Zest the lemon and add, with the juice, into the mix. Add the remaining coriander and stir to incorporate. Increase the heat until the mix starts getting crisp. Flip it like a pancake and keep frying gently until golden brown. Transfer the migas to a serving plate either broken into chunks or as a round patty.
In the same pan, fry the asparagus halves quickly in the remaining oil and season well with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate, spoon some olive oil over, sprinkle with salt and the remaining sorrel.
