/ Our magazine / Asparagus and eggs: a tasty spring main dish.
/ Our magazine / Asparagus and eggs: a tasty spring main dish.
Do you want a quick yet tasty second course? A second course that uses seasonal vegetables and is also healthy? The answer is definitely a nice plate of asparagus and eggs.
Asparagus is a vegetable that not everyone likes, but for those who do, it is a real delicacy. Hand-picked exclusively during the period usually from late March to June, asparagus is a plant rich in beneficial properties.
Cultivated in the Mediterranean basin and in Asia Minor for over two thousand years, asparagus can be used to prepare many recipes, although the combination that immediately comes to mind is certainly between eggs and asparagus. Let's get to know our protagonists a little better.
Asparagus is rich in plant fibers, minerals, folic acid, and vitamins. Additionally, asparagus contains high levels of glutathione, a substance that promotes the detoxification of the body by improving its ability to rid itself of harmful substances.
The most famous property of asparagus, however, is certainly its diuretic effect, a way to expel impurities present in the body.
In short, asparagus is a true concentrate of wellness, as well as being delicious! Asparagus can be green, white, pink, or purple, each variety has its own nuances of taste and texture. Choose your favorite!
And what about eggs? Eggs are a food of great nutritional value: they come first in the ranking of high biological value foods because they provide about 7g of protein containing all essential amino acids, and they also contain a large amount of vitamins, particularly A and E, which have an antioxidant effect. Vitamin C, however, is absent.
The egg is rich in minerals including phosphorus, which is necessary for bone formation. It is a good source of zinc, an essential mineral for the proper functioning of the immune system. Fats make up about 10% of the egg's content, and of these, 70% are lecithins, necessary to maintain the elasticity of the arteries.
Asparagus and eggs are a truly ancestral pairing. The saying "Bismarck-style", that is, fresh asparagus blanched and served with a fried egg, melted butter, grated Grana cheese, and a pinch of pepper, is said to have been known since the times of ancient Rome. According to Plutarch, even Julius Caesar tasted them this way in the Milanese house of Valerio Leonte, "seasoned with butter instead of oil".
But then, why are they called "Bismarck"? General Otto Von Bismarck, the chancellor of the Second German Reich, loved fried eggs and would eat up to 12 a day, especially in combination with other dishes. So this term refers more to a historical habit of pairing rather than something specific.
However, it is certain that asparagus and fried eggs is a custom that is not German, but entirely Italian. Some sources indicate that the history of this dish began geographically in the Lombardy countryside, but we do not know the timeframe, although, indeed, traces of it are already present as far back as ancient Rome.
Eggs were probably one of the first ingredients used by man, but it is more interesting to learn about the history of asparagus.
Asparagus, native to Western Asia, was already cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. The ones that are cultivated today, more widely distributed than wild ones, belong to the family of Liliaceae, genus Asparagus, species officinalis.
Nowadays, Italy is the third-largest producer of asparagus in Europe, with some territorial excellences like the white asparagus from Bassano del Grappa, the I.G.P. white asparagus from Cimadolmo, or the I.G.P. green asparagus from Altedo.
Before cooking eggs and asparagus, you must first clean the asparagus. How to do it? Nothing could be simpler: first, cut off about 5 cm from the base of the asparagus, and then peel the tough, filamentous outer skin of the asparagus from the bottom up with a vegetable peeler, which is often inedible even after cooking.
Once this is done, we can start cooking!
Once the asparagus are washed and cleaned, they should be boiled lightly, not until fully cooked, because it is better to give them a quick pass in the pan to make them a bit crispier.
The ideal pot would be one specifically designed for cooking asparagus, that is, high and narrow so that the stems can boil and the tips, the most tender and succulent part, can steam.
While waiting for the asparagus to cook, prepare the eggs, boiled, poached, or fried, with which the asparagus will then be served. Once they have become soft, remove the asparagus from the water and place them in a pan to give them extra crispiness.
Now you can salt and pepper to taste and serve them with the eggs, perhaps topped with a sprinkle of Grana Padano and breadcrumbs, and maybe adding some succulent Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP.
Asparagus and eggs are ready to be enjoyed: here’s a quick and tasty dish that will bring the best seasonal vegetables to your table. On Spaghetti&Mandolino, you will find asparagus and eggs, but also many other incredible and tasty products featuring this vegetable.
What are you waiting for? Hurry up and try them now!
Ilaria Chesini
S&M
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