How was your Saturday? If it was anything like ours, you were probably pretty busy!
First there was the matter of a 26-quart stockpot full of what is commonly known around here as “pig soup.” Bone broth, to much of the world, in this case, pork bones. (Stay tuned for forthcoming info on the process. For today, let’s just say it was one of the more dramatic, nose-to-toes adventures I’ve had!)
The house smelled divine. Poor Sarah, our Newfie, wore herself out offering to help!
Then there was the matter of adding small shirt buttons to the last of 22 feet of quilt border. Finally! Still more finishing work to go, but there will be pictures of “Brooding Over the Deeps” here, soon. In the meantime, healing thoughts for my rotator cuff injury are appreciated!
The laundry elves were in full swing. My favorite farmer was on the phone. Two spring, heritage breed turkeys pre-ordered on line. You get the picture.
Then Bill looked out the window and noticed it was sunny. It was also warm-ish! So off we went, stockpot just bubbling nicely, dog safely resting in her “personal vacation villa,” to The Corner Pub, which is sort of our version of Cheers!
We managed to score just the right spot on the patio where I could sit in one of the spring-y chairs with the sun right on my back and shoulder. After some awesome nachos and fried okra, a bit of William Hill Chardonnay, and some brainstorming about book marketing, we headed back to the real world, shoulder screaming less loudly.
Then Bill was off to the DeKalb Farmers’ Market, while I was home adding fresh herbs to the stockpot and hand-tacking the hanging sleeve to the back of my quilt.
Then the miracle occurred! Bill appeared with the first organic asparagus of the season!!! (The stuff in our garden is always at least 3 weeks behind.) I was thrilled! Bill, who’s not as big a fan, took off to Saturday night male bonding.
So, dinner. For each entré serving, you’ll need:
Fresh asparagus, pinky finger-sized, about ½ lb per person.
The best eggs you can get, 1-2 each.
Good, organic olive oil for roasting asparagus. I fry eggs in olive oil, but organic, unsalted butter is lovely also.
Grey, Celtic sea salt and fresh ground pink peppercorns. Maybe some crushed red pepper flakes.
Basil pesto, about 1 tbsp per serving. (Optional but highly desirable!) Until there’s basil in the garden, we buy ours at the DeKalb Market, near the fresh pasta. No jars! In a pinch, GIA Green Pesto from Italy is pretty good. It comes in a foil tube, like toothpaste. Try Whole Foods or Amazon. Lacking pesto, a spritz of fresh lemon juice or even some hot sauce will do.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Gently rinse and towel dry asparagus spears. Take one spear and hold each end. Bend until it snaps, usually about 2” or so from the cut end. Line them all up evenly on your cutting board and trim with a knife at the same length the first spear snapped. (You really don’t have to do them all individually if they’re close to the same size!) Add discarded ends to the compost. Perhaps this sounds ridiculous, but a friend of my mother’s once cut off the tips and threw them away! NOT the goal!
Arrange spears in a single layer on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. We use un-bleached. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with S&P.
Roast in the oven. About 8-10 min is perfect for small spears that finish bright green with a bit of crunch. Please don’t cook them until they’re Army green and mushy!
Meanwhile, as the asparagus is roasting, fry your eggs. Place pan—preferably an iron skillet—over med heat and warm. When a few drops of water just begin to skitter on the surface, add olive oil or butter to coat bottom of pan.
For “over easy” eggs, add gently, to pan, S&P. Cook until the whites have lost their translucent look, then flip them carefully, trying not to break the yolks and cook for about 1 more min, depending on how you like them. For this recipe, runny yolks create the sauce. Be brave!
Slide the pan off the heat, hopefully just as the asparagus is done. Transfer asparagus to plates. Top with eggs. Garnish with pesto sauce, S&P to taste.
This is Food Heaven!!!