Italicious

I found these 2 foot long asparagus at the Marion Square market, purple and green, they were gorgeous and from an organic farm from John’s Island. I had a number of ideas of what to do with them, they would have been wonderful in a risotto or over pasta, but neither of those would really celebrate the length and the beautiful of these stalks.

I went with simplicity. My husband had made this dish for me when we were living in Prato, a perfect, fast, easy dinner to prepare on a work night. He had steamed the asparagus, which can sometimes make them mushy if they steam for a few seconds too long, so I decided to roast these and bring out a sweeter flavor. The fried egg on top gives you the protein that we all need, and a crusty loaf of bread completes the meal.

I’m bundling up with this and making my way to the North, though I am not 100% sure which region would be able to claim this dish, my husband certainly picked it up while he was living in Milan, but that doesn’t account for its origin.

Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs

• 1 lb fresh asparagus, stems snapped off and washed
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 eggs
• salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Snap the ends off of the asparagus and wash them thoroughly, drying them well when you have finished. Toss the asparagus on a baking sheet in the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Let them roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, turning them halfway through. It is best to use larger spears, the thin ones tend to shrivel.

In the meantime, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and lower the heat, allow it to melt before cracking the eggs. Gently crack the egg open into the pan, make sure that you don’t break the yolk when you crack the egg in the pan. Cook until the white is completely set. I don’t usually turn my eggs, I like my yolks really runny, especially for this dish, it creates a lovely coating for the asparagus.

Plate the asparagus and place the egg on the asparagus, serve immediately with crusty bread.

~ by italicious on May 6, 2009.

Posted in asparagus, eggs, gluten free, Lombardia
Tags: asparagus, eggs