Spring Vegetable Stew

Or ragout, if you want to be fancy.  This is a light treatment where you saute chopped spring veg (I used the white of a leek, a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and each spear cut into three, some radishes, sliced, a courgette, diced and some shredded lettuce leaves) in a knob of butter until wilted and starting to soften.  However, you don't want the veg to colour.  Pour over about 200ml of veg stock (Marigold is fine) and allow to cook for a few more minutes until the stock has reduced a little.  Then stir in a tablespoon of half-fat creme fraiche, plenty of black pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and some chopped parsley (or chives, or tarragon, depending on what you have).  Spoon onto two plates and top each with a piece of poached salmon or grilled chicken, or a lovely piece of poached smoked haddock was what I opted for tonight.  Or a poached egg would be good, if you wanted a veggie option.  Served with some new potatoes, this was a lovely spring supper.