Asparagus and Broccoli Delight

The first days of spring are like turning the lights on in a teenager's room. The place looks a shocking mess in the bright glow. One new spring morning I came home lugging ten tonnes of weekend shopping, and was appalled at the sight of our back garden in the cheerful illumination of the sun. Everything seemed ragged and overgrown. Leaves and cedar berries littered the corner sitting sanctuary. Spiders' webs lattice-worked the garden chair bases. Weeds had sprouted in the stonework and the herb pots. Nothing less than fence-to-fence shambles. The garden looked desperate, its disarray so indecently exposed in the serene sunshine. But I had indoors to do. The shopping to unpack, beds to strip, washing to put on, cooking to get under way . . . Then I remembered the boys. They used the garden much more than I. They sat for whole summer nights under insect lamps playing cards in the sitting sanctuary. I followed a susurrus of voices and found several lads gathered around coffee mugs enjoying the weather on the front verandah. One was strumming languidly on a guitar. Not a worry in the world. They had been there since they got up, they said. Midday? I didn't dare to ask. Such a beautiful afternoon, they enthused. So nice to sit outside at last. Who could disagree? But why weren't they sitting under the trees out the back where they usually sat? Oh, no, they had thought of that, one volunteered stupidly. But this was much cleaner. Hadn't I noticed that there was a mess out the back? Nobody would want to sit out there. Well, you have never seen happy, relaxed faces drop so quickly. Dark looks were glanced at the outspoken fool who had walked them straight into the work trap. The astonishing thing was how quickly the boys had the job done. Many hands make light work. I'd barely finished organising in the kitchen when they had downed tools with a sense of achievement. Thus it came to pass that on that night I cooked the boys of the House of the Raising Sons a summery outdoor dinner, which they took to consume in their favourite warm-weather haunt in the sheltered corner of the garden. The meal was a radiant success and rightly so. This vegetable dish was a celebration in itself- a celebration of asparagus which was in season and even quite cheap.

Steam the vegetables until they are cooked,but still firm. Warm the oil in a pan. Mix all the other ingredients together and add to the oil, stirring until the sauce has thickened properly - and then cook a little longer. Add the vegetables to the sauce, heat thoroughly so the vegetables are fully coated, and serve with rice.

2 BUNCHES OF ASPARAGUS, CUT INTO 4 CM LENGTHS 1 LARGE HEAD OF BROCCOLI, CUT INTO SMALL FLORETS 2 TBSPN VEGETABLE OIL 2 TBSPN LIGHT SOY SAUCE 1 CHICKEN OR VEGETABLE STOCK CUBE 5 TBSPN WATER 1 TBSPN DRY SHERRY 1 TBSPN CORNFLOUR PINCH OF GROUND GINGER PINCH OF CHILLI POWDER