This dish from Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm is one of those simple recipes that really showcases great ingredients. I knew that it was what I wanted to make with this week’s pound of local farmer’s market asparagus. The asparagus was from Steve Anderson via the North Market farmers market.
The eggs were from 2 silos, via the Greener Grocer.
The three components are cooked separately, but each one is simple. First make your ‘frico’, or parmesan crisp. I made these after the Rigby’s cooking class and they are great on salads too. You need a 1/4 cup of grated parmesan for each crisp. Spread the parmesan into a 2 inch circle on a silicon mat or baking parchment and then bake for approximately 7 minutes at 350º. They should be crispy and slightly browned. Let them cool on a wire rack.
Next grill your asparagus (we used 1/4lb per person). I used my grill pan as it wasn’t worth heating up charcoal for, but if you have a gas grill that would work fine. Just make sure you don’t lose any through the grate. Toss the asparagus in olive oil and salt and pepper and grill until tender and slightly charred (about 5 minutes). In a small skillet, fry your eggs (one each), until the whites are just firm but the yolks are still soft and runny. The yolks will be your sauce. Plate the asparagus with a fried egg on top and a parmesan frico.
This is the sort of dish that makes you want to purr contentedly. The combination of tender asparagus, its flavor heightened by the slight char, topped with oozing unctuous golden egg yolk and the crisp salty parmesan. Asparagus and eggs play well together, but it really was the freshness and the quality of the ingredients that made this dish such a treat.
For other asparagus ideas – see last week’s risotto style pasta, or this recipe for asparagus soup from Earth to Table.
