The fields are full of rapeseed flowers at this time of year. Pick the stems before the flowers open fully, blanch them briefly and dress them with shallot sauce — it is a very good match.



Bring a pan of water to a fast boil, add a little oil and salt, and blanch the stems. Do not put too many in at once; a small batch,
cooked quickly, holds on to more of its goodness and loses less vitamin C — and tastes better for it.

Drain, and while still hot toss with shallot sauce and mushroom vegetarian oyster sauce.
This is the way of using shallot sauce that busy cooks seem to like best: light rather than heavy, with a deep shallot aroma, and food the family will actually eat.

No smoke, no fuss — just an easy pan and time at the table with the people you cooked for.