Asparagus with a Good Green Sauce

June 2, 2014

Home at last. So happy to be back in my kitchen. Went right off to the market and discovered there are still local asparagus around here. I scooped them up, thrilled I hadn’t missed them. 

I like serving asparagus at room temperature when I'm having a group over to dinner. That way I can't get distracted and overcook them at the last minute.  This sauce – festive, delicious and very easy – is my favorite way to top them. 

I cook my asparagus in a large skillet of boiling water, putting the fattest ones in first for about 5 minutes, then adding the skinnier ones for just the last two or three minutes. Then I simply scoop them out of the water and put them on a towel-lined plate to cool.  

Just before serving I ladle on the fragrant, chunky sauce.

Begin the sauce by hardboiling a couple of eggs, chilling  them in ice water, and peeling them. 

Now mince a couple of shallots and put them in a small bowl. Add two tablespoons of Italian parsley, a few chopped chives and a tablespoon of minced capers.  Stir in 6 tablespoons of good olive oil and mix well.  Add a generous dollop of mustard and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. 

Chop the hardboiled eggs into fairly coarse pieces, stir them in, and grind in a good bit of black pepper. Allow to mingle quietly for a half hour or so, to let the ingredients communicate with one another, then taste for seasoning and spoon over a pound and a half of cooked asparagus.

Serve at room temperature.  

The rest of the menu, if you're interested:

Chicken Liver Mousse

Crackers topped with Sour Cream and Salmon Roe

Grilled ribeyes

Baked Potatoes

Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Fresh Apricot Crumb Tart

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