Flemish Asparagus
It’s the beginning of asparagus season once again, which means it’s time to show this nutritious and delicious vegetable the love it deserves! Doing so isn’t difficult, we just need to throw a glance over at the Belgians for a little inspiration.
Enter Flemish-style asparagus, a popular Belgian dish, made with sweet white asparagus stalks served with a crumbly topping of boiled egg, doused in butter and lemon juice and a pop of chopped parsley for color. It’s delicious as either a starter or a side dish, or why not try it for breakfast for a different approach to the most important meal of the day?
Flemish Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 lb white asparagus
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by trimming off the woody ends of the asparagus (about 1 cm or 1/2 inch) and peel the tough skin along the length of the asparagus with a vegetable peeler. Next, place it in a pot of boiling water and cook covered for about 15-30 minutes or until cooked through (duration will depend on the thickness of the stalks).
- Meanwhile, cook the eggs until hardboiled (5-10 minutes or so). Cool them in some cold water, and peel off the egg shell.
- Cut the eggs into quarters and add them to a blender. Pulse until they turn into a fine crumble.
- Add the asparagus stalks to a dish with all the spears pointing in the same direction.
- Melt the butter in a pan. once it's all melted, add in the lemon juice and stir for a couple of minutes. Then mix in the chopped parsley and the egg crumble mixing for a minute until it heated through comes together.
- Spoon the hot egg mixture over the base of the asparagus stalks and finish with a final touch of salt and pepper to your liking.
- Alternatively, you can add the ingredients to the plate separately. For this you would blend the egg whites and yolks separately in a blender, and sprinkle them over the cooked asparagus, then drizzle it with hot melted butter, then lemon juice and finally a sprinkle of chopped parsley for a finishing touch.
- Serve warm and enjoy!