Green asparagus with fried eggs

You have no idea how happy I am that asparagus is back. Yesterday I wrote about the current glut of “new-season” vegetables and fruit. Luckily, fresh asparagus is only around in spring, and you don’t generally see it in shops in winter or autumn. So this is the only time. No point waiting around.

Today it was green asparagus on the table. Much easier to prepare, especially since — I don’t know whether you remember the horror film I once made — it is definitely easier to “peel”. Here it is again to remind you:

Well? Tempted yet? If not, I’ll just add that making asparagus with fried eggs is almost as easy as making fried eggs on their own. So I can’t believe you’re still waiting. Highly recommended.

At a glance:

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Serves: 1 person

Calories: do you seriously worry about that?

Ingredients for green asparagus with fried eggs:

• 8 green asparagus spears (make sure they’re fresh, not woody; the thinnest stalks are best)
• 2 hen’s eggs
• half a tablespoon of butter
• half a teaspoon of olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Recipe for pan-fried green asparagus with eggs:

First I washed the asparagus thoroughly and peeled it (following the instructions in the horror film above ;). I heated the butter in a frying pan with a few drops of olive oil (to stop the butter burning), then laid the asparagus spears side by side (you can see this in the photo below). I fried the asparagus over a medium “flame” (setting 5 on my induction hob’s 1 – 10 scale) for about 1 – 2 minutes.

Then I cracked two eggs into the pan so that the whites covered the asparagus and the yolks stayed whole (as you can see, mine didn’t end up particularly evenly distributed; I’m sure you can make it look prettier and more even). I added a little salt and a fairly generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper. I covered the pan with a lid and reduced the “flame” to 3 (on the 1 – 10 scale). I fried it until the yolks were almost completely set. The dish is ready. Enjoy!