Green Dilly Beans: Thursday, May 10, 2007

Today was a good day. Good enough in fact, to bring me out of blogging hibernation.

Where to start? Do you ever have one of those days at work where everything just clicks? For whatever reason I got a lot done today, I was a veritable model of efficiency. It felt really good to have this sense of accomplishment; it felt even better to leave the office at 6:45, an abnormally early time for my office. I need to figure out a way to bottle up this aura and take regular doses.

On the home front, B is camping in Yosemite this week, so I'm on my own and cooking for one. Asparagus and eggs from the greenmarket were calling to be used in a recipe from Lynne Rosetto Kasper and The Splendid Table, whose podcasts and e-newsletter have me salivating on a regular basis.

As you will see the recipe is pretty simple, basically a fried egg placed atop the asparagus spears. Being a regular cook, this caused me no concern until I went to pull out a skillet for said egg. I stopped, having made an unsettling realization. It had been years since I fried an egg. Beyond the basics of theory, I had no idea where to begin. Had I regressed on the evolutionary chain? Had I become one of those people who fails to develop the most basic skills due to the proficiency or talents of their partner?????

You see, B makes a mean fried egg, and delights in doing so. The skill he possesses and the enjoyment he derives from preparing such a simple treat keeps me supplied with a steady diet of sunny side ups, over easys, and other varieties, yet leaves me with a dearth of experience in this area. Despite my regular cooking ventures, I realized that beyond cracking the egg into the pan, I had no idea what to do. Do you heat the pan first? What do you use to grease the pan? Butter? Oil? Some other fatty substance? Although I knew answers were within reach, easily found in my trusty Joy of Cooking, pride prevented me from looking it up.

And so I plowed ahead, turned the burner on to medium low, swirled the pan with butter, and hoped for the best. Although I think my strategy was sound, my technique clearly failed. Not only did I break the yolk, I also broke the eggshell, scattering a half dozen shell shards into the quickly cooking egg white. I scrambled (no pun intended) to fish out the errant shards before the white turned opaque, but lost a few bits in the cooked white. No matter, once assembled, the vivid green asparagus and bright white and yellow egg set against my brown dinner plate provided a perfect contrast of colors for my spring supper. I happened to have some Green Peppercorn butter, leftover from a venison feast my dad prepared last month, which provided a fruity, peppery addition to the asparagus. The saucy combination of the seasoned butter and egg yolk made me wish for a good chunk of bread to mop it all up. Instead, I settled for licking my plate. Hey, I have the house to myself, there was no one around to see! In fact, it was so good, I barely flinched when chomping down on the inevitable eggshell. Paired with a glass of white wine and lemon sorbet with fresh blackberries for dessert, it was a fitting way to end my day.

Asparagus with a Fried Egg and Parmesan
Asparagus
Water
Kosher salt
Unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil
Eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmegiano cheese

Break the tough stems off the asparagus and discard. Arrange the asparagus in a large skillet set over high heat; add a little water and salt. Cover and steam asparagus, rearranging occasionally, until they are crisp-tender and all but 1 T of the water has evaporated, 5 to 8 minutes. If water is evaporating too quickly, add a few more tablespoons. Or, if there is still too much by the time the vegetables are tender, pour it off, holding the vegetables in the pan with the lid. Add 1 teaspoon of butter or olive oil; toss the asparagus well to coat. Fry the egg (or eggs) in a 12" nonstick skillet over moderate heat, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Arrange the asparagus on a plate. Sprinkle with some cheese and place an egg on top. Spoon some of the remaining cheese over each egg. Serve at once.

P.S. After my fried egg foray, curiosity allowed me to look it up. Turns out the stovetop and the sidewalk aren't the only places you can fry an egg!