Asparagus Bismarck is something we eat at least once a week this time of year. I’m always shocked that simply putting an egg on top of some asparagus can turn two ingredients into a somewhat fancy and thoroughly satisfying dinner.
My method for making this simple meal has changed a bit over the years. While I used to steam the asparagus, I now roast them since it’s about a 100 times easier to do. Also, I never really liked how waterlogged the asparagus would get when steamed.
As for the name – Asparagus Bismarck – I’m not really sure how this simple dish got this fancy name. But is it one of my favorite things to order in old fashioned restaurants all over Italy. Or, these days, to make at home.
If you’d like it as a starter, use about 4 stalks per person, topped with one egg. As a main course, 6 to 8 stalks topped with 2 eggs should do it. The most important thing is not to let the eggs over cook. The pool of butter and grated parmigiano — with the broken and runny egg yolk — made the most luscious sauce imaginable. Bread goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway.
Asparagus Bismarck
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 2
Ingredients
- 10-12 stalks of asparagus
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- About 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
- 4 tablespoons butter
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180C
- Trim the asparagus by snapping off the tough ends. Wash pat dry, leaving them a bit damp. Place on an oven tray and drizzle with olive oil, and use your hands to make sure they are covered. Sprinkle with salt and place in preheated oven. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. I don’t really like mine browned for this recipe, but to remain green.
- Remove from oven, but leave on the warm tray while you prepare the eggs.
- Place the butter in a medium frying pan and place over medium/high heat.
- Crack the eggs into the pan. Season the eggs with salt and pepper and cook until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny. Using a spoon, spoon the hot butter over the whites to speed up their cooking.
- Divide the asparagus onto two plates, and then, using a spatula, gently place the eggs on top. Pour the extra butter from the pan over the asparagus, letting it run onto the plate. Sprinkle generously with the grated parmigiano.
This recipe first appeared in my book Eating My Way Through Italy. For more recipes from Italy see my books The Italian Table and Eating Rome.
And we’d love to have you join us here in Italy to eat, cook and have fun. Our current list of Week Long Food Tours are here.
Cara,
I follow your blog regularly and saw your addition to roasted asparagus with crumbled egg on top so I used it as inspiration for my Easter dinner. It went over very well with my family. I added a bit of my black salt as garnish.
My family lives in Valtopina and Foligno in Umbria;)).
Tradition in my So Cal home at Pasqua is crèscia, both sweet and cheese savory.
Happy Spring to you and your family,
Gina Pascolini Marcaccio
Love the idea of black salt, so elegant! Also love the Umbria connection. 😉
I will never understand how people can eat raw eggs. Aren’t you afraid of salmonella? I do love asparagus, though.
This recipe doesn’t call for raw eggs. They are runny, but not raw. And I get my eggs from farmers, where the incidence of salmonella is almost non-existent.
I just made this for Saturday lunch as our 2yo blissfully slept and wanted to thank you so much! It’s recipes like this that sustain us when we are so busy but want to eat well. Like, what do you eat when you don’t have time to cook? This is a great example!
So glad it worked out and you enjoyed it. It’s one of my favorites too!