Leonard is still dating Dr. Stephanie Barrett ( Sara Rue), the only woman Leonard has dated whom Sheldon approves of. But Sheldon frets that Leonard will mess up the relationship, and takes it upon himself to ensure the continued viability of the relationship. Tired of Sheldon's intrusions into his relationship with Stephanie, Leonard confronts Sheldon, who then tries to relieve Leonard of command, whatever the hell that means. Leonard understandably finds this ridiculous and inapplicable. In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, cream cheese, parmesan and chives until smooth. Return the frying pan to a moderate heat, add a little slice of butter and heat until it is just beginning to froth. Pour in the egg mixture, turn down the heat to low and begin bringing in the frothing edges to the liquid centre of the pan using a spatula. Using a mandolin or a vegetable peeler, cut four of the asparagus stalks lengthways into long ribbons, as thin as you can. Add them to a bowl along with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat, and set aside.

Roasting and grilling are both good ways to achieve a caramelised flavour from white asparagus and (weather permitting) you could even cook it on the barbecue to impart a lovely smokiness. Tip the cooked asparagus into the pan and disperse evenly. Continue to gently lift the more cooked parts of the frittata, allowing the liquid egg to slip underneath them until a happy, soft and curd-like medium has evolved. This should take around 2 minutes.

When Is the UK White Asparagus Season?

By stopping the asparagus from having sunlight the chemical chlorophyll, that is responsible for the green colour of plants, is not formed and therefore the asparagus does not gain the green colour of sun-exposed asparagus.

The result of farming the asparagus as white asparagus is that the white asparagus has a more delicate flavour than the green asparagus and has a less greasy feel to it. The UK asparagus season runs from April to June, and only one area of the UK—Worcestershire—produces white asparagus. White asparagus it is often imported from France and Germany during these months too. Bring some water to the boil in a saucepan, then add a little salt and lightly cook the asparagus for a few minutes. It should still be firm when drained. Cool the spears under cold running water and pat them dry. White asparagus and green asparagus are the same vegetable. The difference between them comes from how they are grown and how this changes the taste and look of them.

Tropes

This is a fine dish for using asparagus spears known as "sprue", which are much thinner and consequently less expensive than more perfect specimens. Don't bother peeling them – just remove the tougher base stalks and throw the rest in the pan. Sheldon is not done butting in, though: he logs into Leonard's social media and changes Leonard's relationship status to being in a committed long-term relationship with Stephanie. When Leonard finds out, he's angry, and worries that Sheldon's meddling will actually end the relationship. But to his surprise, Stephanie changes her relationship status to match Leonard's. Recipe supplied by Melissa Hemsley and Jasmine Hemsley, hemsleyandhemsley.com Asparagus frittata with soft cheese and chives Put the tofu in a bowl and add the ground sesame seeds, sugar, light soy sauce and miso and mix thoroughly.