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Yes, I have yet another egg recipe. Normally I prefer eggs scrambled or turned into an omelette or a frittata, but I can make an exception for this fried egg and asparagus variation. I first had this as an appetizer at The Red Cat years ago, and the runny yolk didn't totally gross me out. Perhaps it's not the most overwhelming endorsement, but that's a big deal for me. I really don't like wet eggs. Ordering an omelette in a French restaurant is always a risky proposition since they are almost always raw in the center. Ew.
Anyway, here the egg yolk becomes more like a dressing for the roasted asparagus, so not so gross. Oh, and since I don't normally make fried eggs, you might notice that I don't really know how to cook them. The edges of my egg are totally overcooked while the center is very undercooked. I think my pan was too hot when I added the egg, so that's what I ended up with. And the first egg slid right off my spatula and into my silverware drawer rather than onto my plate. Be warned. Fried eggs are slippery. If you have any tips for this non fried egg making girl, let me know.
Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large eggs
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Truffle oil, optional
1. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Lay the asparagus on a rimmed sheet pan large enough to hold it in one layer. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Redistribute the asparagus so that it is in one layer. Roast for 10-15 minutes then remove from oven to cool slightly. Transfer the spears to two salad plates.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, carefully add the eggs to the pan and fry for 2 minutes undisturbed. Turn the heat to low, cover pan and cook an additional 1-2 minutes until the egg whites are cooked through.
3. Carefully slide one fried egg on top of the asparagus on each plate. Sprinkle with the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle with truffle oil if using. Serves 2.
Friday, June 3rd is National Egg Day. Par-tay! Every day is egg day as far as I'm concerned. I don't really need another reason to blow through a carton of eggs, but if you do, try my asparagus frittata. It's perf for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And get ready because World Egg Day follows in the fall, so consider this practice for the big day. For other random holidays that you don't really care about, check out this helpful guide.
Asparagus Frittata
1 pound asparagus, trimmed of woody ends and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces Fontina, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
1. Cook the asparagus in a pot of boiling water for 1 - 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears. Drain. Add to a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking and to cool quickly. Drain completely and set aside.
2. Beat the eggs, salt, pepper, and thyme in a large bowl. Stir in the asparagus.
3. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Drop a bit of egg into the pan; if it sizzles and cooks at once, the pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture. Tilt the pan to distribute the eggs and filling evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the frittata with the spatula in your other hand, to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking.
4. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, shaking the pan gently every once in a while. From time to time, remove the lid, tilt the pan and loosen the bottom of the frittata with a spatula so that it doesn’t burn. The bottom should have a golden color. The eggs should be just about set. Cook a few minutes longer if they’re not.
5. Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Uncover the pan, sprinkle the frittata with the cheese, and place under the broiler, not too close to the heat, for one to three minutes, watching very carefully to make sure the top doesn’t burn (at most, it should brown very slightly and puff under the broiler). Remove from the heat, and shake the pan to make sure the frittata isn’t sticking. Allow it to cool for at least five minutes and then loosen the edges with a spatula. Carefully slide the frittata from the pan onto a large round platter. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Makes four servings.
I'll bet that you've never considered eating asparagus raw. I know that I've never intentionally done it. But as I was flipping through my new Mario Batali cookbook, Molto Gusto, I ran across a photo of a raw asparagus salad and realized that I've had it at Otto. Actually, if you are a fan of that restaurant, Molto Gusto is the definitive Otto cookbook. (I'll have to move on to the pizzas next!) Anyhoo, this simple salad is certainly a new way to enjoy the spring veggie and chock full o'flavor as well. The cheese is a really nice counterpoint to the fresh asparagus and the tart vinaigrette (and the salad is otherwise so healthy) so feel free to add some more!
Shaved Asparagus Salad
1 pound large asparagus, thick ends trimmed off
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup coarsely grated pecorino romano
1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into long, thin strips and transfer to a medium bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, and olive oil. Add about half of the vinaigrette to the asparagus, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to coat. Top with the cheese and additional pepper. Serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side. Serves 4.Note: I realized that I have never mentioned how to decide where to trim the woody ends on a bunch of asparagus. Take one piece of asparagus and hold the ends between your thumbs and forefingers. Slowly bend the stalk until it snaps. Discard the woody end piece and lay trimmed asparagus spear next to the remaining bunch on a cutting board. Line up all of the tips and trim all of the ends where the single stalk snapped. There's no need to do it one by one...well, you could, but this is faster!
On day two of my personal asparagus week, I bring you...asparagus risotto! (You're psyched, I can tell.) Actually it is just a basic Parmesan risotto with some asparagus tossed in for good measure, but it qualifies as an asparagus recipe in my opinion.
Risotto does require a bit of patience and attentiveness, but the good people at Cook's Illustrated discovered that you could reduce some of the stir time by adding about half of the stock at once. "Blasphemy!" some may scream, but...it works! After the initial addition of stock has been absorbed, you continue with small additions the way every other recipe requires, and then, boom, you're done. Top it all off with some grilled or sauteed shrimp and it's a perfect spring dinner that will impress your friends. Or if they can't tell the difference between a good meal and a great one, just enjoy it yourself and invite them over for take out.
Asparagus Risotto
(Adapted from The New Best Recipe)
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
Salt
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 pound asparagus, trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring the broth and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and keep the broth warm.
2. Melt the butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Once the foaming subsides, add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onion is soft and transparent, about 8 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until it is well coated with the butter and the edges of the grains begin to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of the warm broth and, stirring infrequently (about every 3 minutes), simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the bottom of the pan is dry, 10 - 12 minutes.
3. Add more of the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, as needed to keep the pan bottom from becoming dry (about every 3 minutes). After the second addition of broth, stir in the asparagus and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is cooked through but still slightly firm in the center, 15 to 20 minutes total.
4. Stir in the cheese and zest and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, topping with additional Parmesan. Serves 6.
I've decided that it's "Asparagus Week" for no other reason other than the fact that I am trying to get back into my regular blogging schedule. And because this first week of spring has acted more like winter, maybe we can trick ourselves into thinking it's warmer by eating a ton of spring veggies. It's worth a try!
It may be too early in the season for local asparagus, but I've started to see it cropping up in stores from a variety of locations. The season typically runs from February to June, so depending on where you live (Hawaii!), you may be able to find a local variety. (In Michigan for example, asparagus is harvested for a six - seven week period from late April/early May through mid to late June.) Fun facts: The asparagus plant is a member of the lily family, which also includes onions, leeks, and garlic. It's also super healthy as it's high in folic acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin. Plenty of reasons to eat asparagus this spring! And so is this (almost not a recipe) recipe for an asparagus tart. It's more of an assemblage. All you need is puff pastry, cheese, and asparagus. And an oven. 
Asparagus Tart
(adapted from Martha Stewart Living)
Flour, for work surface
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 - 1 1/2 pounds asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim any uneven edges. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score the pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. (See photo below.) Using a fork, pierce the dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. 
2. Remove the pastry shell from the oven, and sprinkle with the Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell. Arrange in a single layer over the Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush the asparagus with the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the spears are tender, about 15 minutes. Makes 8 appetizer servings.
Ta dah! The lamb that Chad and I made now over a week ago (don't worry - the recipe is still fresh!) was pretty delish and easy to prepare. The highest degree of difficulty was simply being able to tell when the damn thing was done. I like to use meat thermometers as a guide, but I don't always believe them so between poking and prodding and keeping an eye on the clock, we managed to pull it out when it was exactly medium rare (our thermometer said it was only 125˚F - we lived). The only other tiny issue was the fact that our meat didn't really release many juices so we added a little stock to the extra marinade so that we had something to baste it with. And I apologize in advance for my meat photography. Clearly meat styling is not my forte (plus check out the photo of my meal slapped on a plate - orzo everywhere! - I think I was just hungry) so just believe me that the roast was super tasty even if it doesn't look it...
Roasted Leg of Lamb
(Adapted from Martha Stewart Living)
1 boneless leg of lamb (about 6 pounds), rinsed and patted dry
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
4 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Use a paring knife to make a dozen or so small slits in the meat. Tuck the garlic slivers into the slits. Place the meat in a baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, stir together oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour the marinade over lamb, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate, basting occasionally with the marinade, for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 325˚F with a rack positioned to fit the lamb in a roasting pan. Remove the lamb from the refrigerator, uncover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes. Lightly coat a roasting pan with oil.
3. Transfer the lamb to a rack fitted in the prepared pan, reserving leftover marinade. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Roast the lamb, basting every 20 to 30 minutes, first with the reserved marinade, and then with juices that accumulate in the pan. The lamb will need to cook for about 20 minutes per pound (about 2 hours total for a 6-pound leg of lamb). An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat should read 135˚F when the lamb is medium-rare.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the lamb to a cutting board. Cover with foil to keep warm. Let the lamb rest for 20 minutes before carving. Pour the pan juices into a fat separator or glass measuring cup; spoon off any fat that rises to the surface and discard. Cover juices to keep warm while lamb rests; add any juices that collect as the lamb sits.
5. Carve the lamb and arrange the slices on a large platter; drizzle with reserved pan juices just before serving.
Roasted Asparagus
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. (A sharp knife should pierce the thickest part of the asparagus with no resistance.) Serves 6.2 pounds asparagus, trimmed 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil2 pounds asparagus, trimmed 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Mmmmm...beef tenderloin. A little pricey? Perhaps. Delicious? Absolutely! This crazy awesome cut of meat rates highest on my fabulosity scale of impressive cuts of meat that you can cook at home. Because it's not a Rib Eye, dripping with fat, you can cook it yourself without totally dismantling your smoke detector system (well, maybe not all of it). Our fabulous host, Chad, and I were originally planning to cook a small, simple meal when the party expanded. Perfect! A birthday provided a happy excuse to buy some fabulous ingredients to cook well and to celebrate. Happy Birthday, Jen!
While you quickly prepare this dinner (which takes MINIMAL preparation) and everyone is drinking and starving, serve St. Andre and crackers. Is it ice cream or a cheese? You decide.
When you have an event where you need to impress, this beef tenderloin will make your crowd will swoon. Honestly, all you need is about 30 seconds of preparation (as long as it takes to salt and pepper the meat). Then, just make sure that you don't overcook the beef and you'll be a rock star. We totally screwed up my red wine reduction to drizzle over top, and no one was the wiser. That's what happens when 2 people are drinking wine and seasoning at once. You don't really know how much salt and pepper are added until you try to deglaze your pan and the sauce tastes like a salt lick. (Sorry ya'll! But you probably had no idea that you didn't get the red wine reduction anyway.)
For maximum crowd impact with minimal kitchen effort I recommend:
Beef Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus
(Although I've written a proper recipe, this rendition is going to be a little improvisational, like the dinner. I hope you don't mind.)
2 - 2.25 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed (give or take a few ounces)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper (distributed by one person only!)
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. Allow the meat to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before you plan on cooking it.
2. Preheat the over to 425˚F.
3. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the beef generously on all sides with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, add the meat and sear until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 35 - 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center registers 135˚F for medium rare. (My trick is just to poke the meat with my finger to test for doneness. Generally you are looking for moderate give. No resistance would indicate that it is overcooked! It just takes practice.)
4. Remove the beef from the pan and let rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
5. Return the skillet (without the beef) to the stove top over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add the wine, stirring to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and simmer until reduced to a glaze, about 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter until it is melted and the sauce is glossy.
6. To serve, slice the beef into 1/2 -inch slices and top with the red wine sauce. Delish! (Unless you over season the meat.) Serves 6.
For the Mashed Potatoes:
1. Peel a bunch of (yellow) potatoes (about 8 medium) and roughly chop. Bring the potatoes and a large pot of cold water to a boil. Cook until tender, or until a fork pierces easily through the flesh, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes. Add one stick of unsalted butter (8 tablespoons) and 1/2 cup (or so) of heavy cream. Mash together and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
For the Asparagus:
1. Prepare one bunch of asparagus (about one pound) by washing and trimming the thick ends. Toss with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Roast on a sheet pan in a single layer in the 425˚F oven during the last 10-15 minutes that the beef is cooking (depending on the thickness of the spears).
Plate the beef with the mashed potatoes and asparagus and enjoy!
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