Sour Logs on Nikumaroro
Based on:
TypeSide dish
Serves4 people
DateOctober 19, 2026
Stacked asparagus and carrot become the mysterious 'wreck' of logs on a tangy, suspenseful plate.
A side dish of roasted green asparagus and carrot, stacked to resemble the log pile found on Nikumaroro. The sharp, tangy lemon-caper dressing brings tension, echoing the Amelia Earhart mystery. The plate shows a glossy stack: not wreckage, but logs.
Ingredients
- 500 g green asparagus
- 4 large carrots
- 2 lemons (juice and zest)
- 3 tbsp capers
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Peel the carrots and cut into long strips about 15 cm, roughly as thick as asparagus.
- Trim the woody ends from the asparagus.
- Place asparagus and carrot strips on a baking tray, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked, turning halfway.
- Meanwhile, mix lemon juice, zest, white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, and capers into a sharp dressing.
- On each plate, stack the roasted asparagus and carrot strips in a messy pile to resemble logs.
- Spoon the dressing generously over, so the whole glistens like sand on wood.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.
Serving notes
- Serve on a large, flat plate for maximum 'log pile' effect.
- Let the dressing drip just off the pile for a glistening look.