Asparagus, Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Filo Cigars

BRITISH asparagus is now in season and it's absolutely delicious. I love it lightly steamed with a little bit of butter or hollandaise sauce. But if you want something a little more substantial for a special starter or lunch, try this recipe. It's from the British Asparagus website where there are lots more lovely asparagus recipes.

British Asparagus, Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Filo Cigars
Serves 4
Preparation 20 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Ingredients
6 - 8 British asparagus spears
6 - 8 sheets Jus-Rol filo pastry
50g butter, melted
240g London cure smoked Scottish salmon
2 tbsp English Provender Company hot horseradish
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 200c/gas 6.
2 Blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and refresh under cold running water. Set aside.
3 Cut the sheets of filo in half lengthways to give you long strips and keep covered until you are ready to use them to prevent them drying out.
4 Cut the smoked salmon into long strips, roughly the length of the asparagus spear. Don't worry if you can't get long enough pieces, it's fine to patch it together.
5 Working with one piece of filo at a time (keep the rest covered up), brush one side with butter. Lay a strip of smoked salmon at one end of the pastry, spread it with a little horseradish and top with a piece of asparagus. Roll up the filo sheet around the salmon and asparagus to give you a cigar shape. Repeat until you have used all the ingredients.
6 Lay the cigars on a baking sheet and brush with a little more butter and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Allow to cool a little before eating as the asparagus will be very hot!