Asparagus au Gratin with Fried Eggs
Asparagus season is one of the food seasons I indulge in the most. So, in the past years, I have ordered two or three large deliveries of asparagus from Gebana. With five kilos of asparagus in the fridge, I had to get creative and discover new recipes. This recipe for Asparagus au Gratin from The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan – I own this beautiful German edition by Echtzeit Verlag – has quickly become one of our favourite ways to prepare and enjoy asparagus in this household.
Ingredients
To feed two people as a main or up to four as a side, you will need:
1kg white asparagus
Butter
100g freshly grated parmesan
Salt & pepper
Two eggs (or more, depending on the amount of people you cook this for)
Method
Peel the asparagus and cut off the end of the stalks.
Add the asparagus to a large pot with water and a pinch of salt and cook until al dente.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 230°C and butter an ovenproof form.
When the asparagus is done, drain it and layer it into the form. Distribute around 100g of freshly grated parmesan, some dabs of butter, and salt between each layer. Add the remaining butter and parmesan on top with some freshly ground pepper.
Bake the gratin in the oven for around 20 minutes until the parmesan on top has turned crispy and golden.
Heat some butter for the eggs. Crack two eggs into a pan, add salt and pepper, and fry on medium heat until the egg whites are firm and the underside turns a bit crispy. Leave the egg yolk runny, though. It will combine beautifully with the asparagus!
Remove the asparagus gratin from the oven and let it rest briefly before plating it with the egg – serve and enjoy!
