I’m really white

Ever read the website Stuff White People Like (click here)? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it. Whether you are Asian, Maori, European or somewhere in between or outside, if you are reading this site, I bet you are white. Trust me, I am so white. So so white. You need sunglasses to look at me.

My biggest white pleasure is farmer’s markets (click here).

Man I love them. I love the friendly banter with the rough faced pot bellied venison supplier, the knowing smiles shared with the artisan cheese maker, even the hemp wearing, bangle toting chocolate brownie maker (bet she puts a little something something in hers at home). I love standing there, holding my straw basket, swaying around to the eclectic band with the man wearing corduroy overalls playing the tambourine.

But, as I’m sure you will have guessed, what I love most is the fresh fruit and veges. Where else can you get purple asparagus, plucked fresh that morning?

It was where I was first introduced to my dear friend celeriac, where I learnt the difference between Cavalo Nero and silver beet. My first Jerusalem artichoke was from the markets, as was my introduction to the world of heirloom tomatoes.

On a recent trip back to Aotearoa, I indulged myself in my favourite market, the Lyttleton Market in Christchurch. With a basket laden full of goodies, I went home and made something simple, fresh and beautiful.

Roasted purple and green asparagus with mixed tomato and red onion salsa (the tomatoes were all heirloom varieties, red, purple and green). Delicious.

You should make it too. If you can’t find purple asparagus or black tomatoes, don’t worry, I won’t judge you. I’ll just feel a little bit better about myself. That’s what white people like to do.

Roasted Asparagus With A Tomato And Red Onion Salsa

Ingredients

2 bunches of asparagus

2-3 ripe, fresh, beautiful tomatoes (please don’t buy pale tasteless supermarket ones, they aren’t worth it)

Half a red onion

The juice of one lemon

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Method

1. Cut the straw like ends off the asparagus (the last 2-3 centimetres depending on how fresh the asparagus is)

2. Drizzle the asparagus in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and then roast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 5-8 minutes

3. Meanwhile, chop up the tomatoes and red onion very  finely – if you are going to be anal, seed the tomatoes (take out the watery seedy stuff in the middle)

4. Mix through the juice of one lemon and 2- 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper through the tomatoes and onion to taste.

5. Take the asparagus out of the oven and place flat on a plate. Spoon the salsa over the asparagus and serve with something yummy like grilled salmon and new potatoes drizzled with butter or a nice piece of steak and roast kumara or perhaps even some fresh shellfish, anything works as long as it is fresh, summery and you like it.