Asparagus Parmigiana Style, Asparagi alla Parmigiana: About the only relatively complex sauce that Asparagus works well with is meat sauce, perhaps because meat sauce is an excellent foil for other things. Here you can use it, or unsalted butter, in association with the cheese. This is a 19th century Neapolitan recipe. To serve 4 you'll need:
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 1/2 pounds (2k) asparagus
- 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano
- 1/2 cup meat sauce or unsalted butter
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- Salt & freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Wash the asparagus and cook them in bunches, upright in lightly salted boiling water sufficient to reach up to where the stalks shift from white to green, so the bases will be boiled while the tips are steamed.
When they are cooked (5-8 minutes, or until the tips begin to droop), cut away and discard the white parts, and arrange the spears in an oven-proof dish, dusting each layer with Parmigiano, butter or meat sauce, and crumbled hard-boiled egg.
Slip the pan into a medium oven (380 F, 190 C) to brown, or run it under a broiler for a few minutes.
When they are cooked (5-8 minutes, or until the tips begin to droop), cut away and discard the white parts, and arrange the spears in an oven-proof dish, dusting each layer with Parmigiano, butter or meat sauce, and crumbled hard-boiled egg.
Slip the pan into a medium oven (380 F, 190 C) to brown, or run it under a broiler for a few minutes.
