Parmesan asparagus with poached eggs

Let’s say you want a light-ish dinner without a lot of effort. If it’s Spring in northeast U.S. you’re likely to have asparagus available. Do you know how asparagus with hollandaise is so very indulgently delicious? Well this has some of that luxurious texture and flavor with minimal effort and way fewer fat calories!  Poached eggs atop asparagus that are par-boiled then broiled with butter and shaved parmesan. Very delicious! Portion is for one because when you’re on your own this is an indulgent treat!

Here’s how:

Asparagus, 1/2 #, ends removed and rinsed

Butter, 2 T

Parmesan, shaved

Eggs, 2, cracked into individual ramekins

White vinegar — white wine or ordinary white, 1-2 T

Prep: 

Take out eggs, parmesan and butter, 2 T. Cut butter into small pieces to dot asparagus later. Get out pan to broil asparagus. Grate or shave some parmesan.

1. Heat up oven. (Unless it’s very hot in the house; you’re going to use broiler later.)
2. Fill deep skillet with water and bring to the boil. Blanch asparagus for 3 minutes. Remove and put on plate with towel. Save the water.
3. Smear some butter on bottom of baking dish. Put in asparagus, dot with butter, add S&P, and then sprinkle with parmesan. 
4. Heat up reserved water (now green!, not to worry), add vinegar and put in eggs. Cover pan and either (1) poach on low to medium heat for about 3 minutes until firm to your liking, and remove with slotted spoon to towel, to dry. Or cover pan with heat off and let cook for 5 minutes.
5. While eggs are cooking, turn on broiler, and broil asparagus for a couple minutes until some color.
6. Plate asparagus — or if you used an individual baking dish, there is nothing more to do here — and plop your eggs on top and go enjoy a wonderful dish.

Excellent with toast, or better yet, crostini my way: Toasted farm white bread, rubbed with garlic clove, then drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt.

Yes, this came from elsewhere.

Here are more poached eggs ideas!

Raita

A good sauce for salmon cakes, or salmon. And probably spicy chicken.

Yogurt, 1/2 c

Lemon zest from 1/2 lemon

Grated cucumber, peeled or not, 1/4 c (those hothouse/English cucumbers are good, but I would still scrape out the seeds/inside with a teaspoon)

Salt, 1/4 t

Fresh herb, such as dill or cilantro, 2 T

Optional: scallion, chopped, 1 T

Directions:

Add salt to yogurt, about 1/2 t for 1 c; mix well. Then add other ingredients.

Mix together and let sit for at least 15 minutes to blend.

Chopped Romaine salad with chickpeas, feta and avocado

So it’s Spring all of a sudden and a gal’s mind turns to. . . . salad! I’m not always feeling like a lettuce salad. Enter: Chopped Salad! This is a phenomenal idea, especially for those who appreciate salt flavor bombs of olives, feta and capers. It’s romaine — chopped up to blend in — with garbanzo beans, cucumber, avocado, feta, olives, perhaps tomato, and some toasted crouton type-item.

Here’s how: Cut off the bottom of a romaine heart, and cut the head lengthwise into four, then turn and cut off 1/2” pieces. Combine the chopped lettuce with your veggies and salad ingredients, to be about 1/2 or less of the salad. Voila! A Pleasure to partake!

Make some mini toast-like croutons:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Take out some bread such as WW pita (Ezekiel for those who claim to be wheat-averse), and tear up. Put on baking sheet with some olive oil and salt, and toast for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

Make a mustard shallot vinaigrette like this:

Olive oil, 6 T

Red wine vinegar, 2+ T

Mustard, 1/4 t

Shallot, 1/2, minced

Capers, rinsed and chopped, 1 T

S&P

Shake up in a small jar or else whisk.

More ingredients:

Garbanzo beans, 15 oz can, rinsed and drained

English cucumber, 1/2 seeded and cut into large dice

Green olives — Castelvetrano or Cerignola or other, pitted, 1/2 c

Scallions, 2, thinly sliced

Romaine lettuce heart, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/2” pieces

Fresh herbs — dill and parsley, maybe mint — 1/2 c total

To get a jump on this: mix together chickpeas, cucumber, feta, olives and scallions, and toss with dressing and refrigerate and come back later to finish prep. Oh, and make those toasts to let cool.

Avec les croutons (inartfully dumped on top)

If you are a salad aficionado and/or enjoy witty prose, you are going to want to subscribe to Emily Nunn’s substack The Department of Salad. You’re welcome!

This salad is from NY Times Cooking site; thanks Lidey Heuck!