Cured pork loin with sweet and sour shaved raw asparagus

Serves 4

(Jason Lowe)

We use Trealy Farm cured meats in the restaurant; they are based down in Monmouthshire and have a fantastic selection of artisan cured meats. Their meats are available through the River Cottage shop ( rivercottage.net/shop).

You could use another cured ham for this or even a cured beef like bresaola which Trealy also do a great version of.

16-20 slices of cured ham
200g medium asparagus with the woody stalks removed

For the dressing

2 medium shallots, peeled, halved and finely chopped
1tbsp red wine vinegar
1tsp Tewkesbury or Dijon mustard
tbsp tomato ketchup
100ml rapeseed or olive oil
tbsp Worcestershire sauce
A few drops of Tabasco
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

First make the dressing: put the shallots in a small saucepan with the vinegar and a tablespoon of water, bring to the boil and remove from the heat.

Transfer to a bowl and whisk in all of the other ingredients and season lightly. If you have a mandolin, either slice the asparagus as thinly as possible lengthways or on the angle, then mix with the dressing and leave to stand for 5-10 minutes.

To serve, arrange the ham on serving plates and spoon the asparagus and dressing over.