Quick ideas
Asparagus soldiers & boiled eggs
A perfect way to break your fast this spring. Asparagus seems to strike a culinary chord with the humble egg in all its forms - hollandaise sauce, a homemade mayo, and even thrown through pasta with some egg yolks and Parmesan - but it is the simplicity and nostalgia of a dippy egg that ticks all the boxes. We love it roasted but you could just as easily steam or boil it for a few minutes instead if you want to avoid firing up the oven.
Cook's notes
If you can’t help but tinker with a near perfect dish, you could try adding a small amount of butter and a cautious dash of cider vinegar to the egg yolk before dipping to ape the taste of a luxuriant hollandaise sauce without all the whisking and faff!
Ingredients
- 200g asparagus
- olive oil
- flaky sea salt & black pepper
- lemon
- 2 eggs
Method
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Step 1
Turn your oven to 200°C/gas 6.
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Step 2
Trim away any tough ends from the asparagus then split any larger stems in half lengthways so that they are all roughly the same size.
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Step 3
Toss the asparagus in a roasting tray in just enough oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven to roast for 8–10 minutes (depending on thickness) until just tender. Finish them with a squeeze of lemon as they come out of the oven.
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Step 4
While they roast, place 2 eggs in a small pan and just cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil and immediately set a timer for 3 mins. The perfect soft-boiled egg is a topic of endless debate, so if you have a preferred method (6 mins straight into boiling water, for example), go with what you know.
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Step 5
Pop the eggs in egg cups and open the tops straight away so they don’t continue to cook in the shell. Serve with the asparagus and a pinch of salt on the side.