Many varieties of already cooked white beans are available canned, among them cannellini, butter and haricot beans; any of these is suitable for this salad. Note

Tender lamb with a tangy Thai dipping sauce and green salad.

You can use feta cheese in place of goat’s cheese. Make pastry cases a week ahead; store in an airtight container. Prepare asparagus and tomatoes 8 hours ahead for asparagus mixture; cover, refrigerate separately. Assemble tarts just before serving. Note

lemony dressing Note

A barbecued chicken weighing about 800g (1½ pounds) should give you 2 cups of shredded chicken meat. Note

Prawns can be shelled several hours ahead. Keep, covered in the refrigerator. Toast rolls and add filling just before serving. Note

You need four bunches of asparagus for this recipe. Note

A smooth, savoury soup delicately seasoned with fresh chervil, cream of asparagus soup is silky and delicious.

Begin your day with this easy, fresh and nutritious meal.

Whip up a batch of these fluffy savoury muffins with crunchy cheese topping. They're great served warm with butter or packed in a lunchbox.

Antipasto literally translates to "before the meal" and is the catchall name for pre-dinner nibbles, usually including cured meats, and all sorts of delicious morsels. This one fits the bill, nicely.

Recipe is best prepared as required. Note

kipfler potatoes, small and finger-shaped, have a nutty flavour and are great baked or in salads. You will need two bunches of asparagus for this recipe. Note

The frittata can be made a day ahead, and kept, covered, in the refrigerator. Note

A light broth with slices of tender chicken, fresh peas and asparagus spears, this soup makes an excellent starter for a dinner party.

Onion jam can be made a day ahead; keep, covered, in the refrigerator. To serve warm, place in microwave-safe bowl, reheat in microwave on MEDIUM (50%) until warm. Note

Fire up the barbecue and enjoy the summer weather with this tasty platter.

The rich, earthy flavour of field mushrooms and the light, green taste of grilled asparagus are very different, but both pair beautifully with this anchovy dressing.

Sometimes the simple meals are the best choice, especially after a time of feasts. Glazed ham with asparagus salad is a lovely, light way to use up Christmas ham.

This recipe is good served warm or at room temperature. If not serving immediately, do not toss the ingredients together or the pasta will absorb the dressing. Note

If you want a richer flavour, add a little cream and blue cheese to the baking dish. Note

Baked brie and asparagus tartines make a dish for a celebratory lunch. If you're looking for some variety, you can replace the asparagus with honey and thyme.

This colourful, veggie-packed frittata is delicious hot or cold at any time of the day.

You can substitute well-drained canned asparagus for the fresh, if desired. Note

Nashi pears and fresh herbs help make this grilled asparagus, fennel and walnut salad a study in contrasting flavours and textures.

Swiss brown mushrooms, also known as cremini or roman mushrooms, are similar in appearance to button mushrooms, but are slightly dark brown in colour. The large variety are often called portobello mushrooms. Note

You can use vegetable stock instead of the chicken consommé. Stir a little chopped preserved lemon rind and fresh tarragon into the rice, if you like. Note

Zuppa primavera is a hearty Italian soup with farfalle pasta and asparagus.

Using a mixture of butter and oil stops the butter from burning. Don’t overbeat the eggs or the omelette will be tough. Note

Asparagus and melted brie make a delicious pair in this easy dish.

You will need 450g of fresh peas in the pod or 2 cups (240g) frozen peas for this recipe. Note

Fresh spinach and ricotta agnolotti is found in most supermarkets’ refrigerated sections. You can substitute ravioli or tortellini for the agnolotti, but none should contain meat or poultry in their filling. Note

Serve slices of this moreish pizza at your next party and watch as they quickly disappear.

Piquant tomato vinaigrette makes a wonderful dressing for tender steamed asparagus spears. Serve as a starter, or as a side dish for a meat, chicken or fish main.

Quick, tasty and packed full of goodness, this delicious Asian stir-fry combines chicken and oyster sauce to create a real flavour sensation.

Three fabulous greens in one dish, this buttery, herby dish of leeks, zucchini and asparagus is an ideal side dish for almost any meat-based main.

The melt-in-the-mouth pastry is irresistible in this asparagus and gruyere tart and easier to work with than you might imagine.

A quick, easy and exciting twist on asparagus that works as a side dish, a buffet dish or barbecue platter.

No time to make lasagne? Try this fantastic and easy asparagus, bacon and parmesan tortiglioni.

This rocket, avocado and macadamia salad is a study in contrasting textures and tastes; peppery rocket leaves, creamy mild avocado and crunchy macadamia nuts. Divine.

Asparagus and baby beans just dripping with garlic butter make a fabulous green side for just about any meal.

This is a super way to serve asparagus as finger food. It also makes a lovely starter, especially with some ripe figs on the side. If you want to take it up a notch, you can put a small slice of fontina cheese under the prosciutto, and quickly pan fry to melt the cheese before serving.

Recipe unsuitable to freeze. Note

The term palliard' means a quick-cooking, thinly sliced or pounded piece of meat, usually veal, beef or chicken. It may also be known as an escalope’. Remove the tenderloin from chicken breast; this is the thin strip of meat lying just under the breast. Using a large sharp knife, cut each chicken breast in half […]

Fontina is a smooth, firm Italian cow’s-milk cheese with a creamy, nutty taste and brown or red rind. It is an ideal melting or grilling cheese. You can use swiss, cheddar or gouda cheeses instead. Note

Gruyère is a hard-rind Swiss cheese with small holes and a nutty, slightly salty, flavour. It is a popular cheese for soufflés as it melts easily. Like a traditional soufflé, this soufflé omelette should be eaten straight away to prevent it sinking. Note

To blind bake, line pastry case with a sheet of baking paper, two-thirds fill with raw rice, bake at 200°C (180°C fan forced) for 10 minutes, then remove paper and rice and return pastry case to oven for a further 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Note

You can use frozen soya beans, available from Asian groceries, in this recipe if fresh are hard to find. You could also use the same quantity of fresh broad beans or 2 cups of frozen broad beans instead. Note

We used wahoo fish for this recipe, but you could use any white fish such as whiting, bream, sole, flounder, dory, perch, snapper or ling. Note

If white asparagus is unavailable, use all green asparagus or thin baby carrots instead. Note

Substitute watercress and tatsoi leaves for baby spinach and mizuna, if preferred. Note

An light and exquisite breakfast with a smoky and delicious crunch of pancetta.

A beautifully bright and colourful rainbow salad packed full of beetroot, asparagus, orange and avocado.

Scrambled eggs need to be cooked and stirred gently until they are creamy and barely cooked. Over-cooking will toughen them. Eat them straight away or they’ll become watery. Note

You could buy 4 x 75g salmon fillets instead of the larger fillet. The yellow beans add some colour to the dish; if unavailable use green beans. Note

Recipe is best prepared as required. Note