Rich, salty flavours often work well with the intense taste of asparagus. This is an elegant starter, and if you serve this quantity for two rather than four you’ll have a very decent lunch or supper.
Serves 4
16–20 asparagus spears
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive or rapeseed oil, plus extra to trickle
4 large eggs, at room temperature
4 slices of sourdough or other good bread
4 thin slices of Parma ham
or other air-dried ham, roughly torn
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus, then drop the spears into the boiling water. Blanch for about 2 minutes, depending on thickness, until almost al dente; drain well. Toss the asparagus in a bowl with the 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and a good seasoning of salt and pepper.
Place a heavy-based non-stick frying pan or griddle pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes, turning from time to time, until tender and patched with brown.
Meanwhile, poach the eggs. This is the way I do it: pour a 4–5cm depth of water into a wide saucepan or deep frying pan and bring to a rolling boil. Break each egg carefully into a cup or ramekin. When the water is boiling, turn off the heat and immediately but gently tip the eggs into the water. Put the lid on the pan and leave to cook in the residual heat for 2½–3 minutes. Carefully scoop up the eggs using a slotted spoon and check that the whites are set, with no jellyish clear bits left; if there are any, return the eggs to the water for 30 seconds. Give them half a minute in the spoon to drain and dab carefully with a piece of kitchen paper to help get rid of the water. Trim off any raggedy bits of white.
While the eggs are poaching, toast the bread, cut in half, trickle with a little extra virgin oil and place on warm plates. Lay the asparagus on the plates and scatter over the ham. Add the poached eggs and a grinding of black pepper, then serve.
SWAPS You can use crisp-fried bacon or pancetta in place of the air-dried ham. Or, for a more radical change, replace with kipper or smoked mackerel fillets, broken into chunks. You can also soft-boil or even fry rather than poach the eggs if you like.