Come late spring and early summer, we start to see a lot of asparagus — in grocery stores, farmers markets and restaurant menus. Its omnipresence is impressive, and the smart Minnesota cook takes full advantage of it.
For many years, I boiled my asparagus, just like my mother and almost everyone else I knew. It wasn't a bad method, provided the stalks were pulled out of the water before they turned limp, lifeless and a rather unpleasant army green color.
Then we all, including my mother, turned off our stoves and turned on our ovens when we learned how delicious the concentrated flavor of roasted asparagus could be. Still, timing is everything, and achieving the perfect tender-crisp consistency that makes asparagus sing was hard to get right every time. Especially because the thickness of asparagus can vary wildly.
Luckily, there is a method that's quick, easy and much more foolproof — pan searing.
Cooking asparagus in a large skillet with a little olive oil allows you to closely monitor its doneness, making it easier to avoid overcooking. You can even pull thinner stalks early, leaving the thicker ones to cook to perfection. And the whole process takes just a few minutes.
Simply cooked, pan-seared asparagus is an obvious choice for a side dish, but paired with eggs, it's also a go-to meal for a busy weeknight, or an elegant first course for a Saturday dinner party.
Although the egg can be cooked any way you like it, my favorite is a fried egg. I like mine slightly crisp around the edges. And since everything is better with crumbled bacon, or in this case, its Italian cousin pancetta, I'll often sprinkle a little of that over the top, along with a showering of freshly shredded Parmesan for a salty note.
The yolk makes a lovely little sauce that adds richness to the dish, while still letting the delicate flavor of the asparagus shine.
