Oven-Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Poached Egg

I think eggs and asparagus go so well together. More specifically asparagus and egg yollk. It brings to my mind a similar taste experience to hollandaise, but a whole lot easier to prepare. I made this as a special breakfast for me and the husband this morning. I felt like indulging us a little, and it was like a mini break away from the kids. Them with their cereal, us with our asparagus and poached eggs.

So good, it deserves an extra photo.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Poached Egg

~serves 4~

Ingredients:

1 lb. asparagus, tough ends snapped off

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

red pepper flakes (optional)

freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, a little or a lot, whatever you like

4 eggs

2 T. vinegar

lemon juice, for seasoning (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the asparagus on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flake. Roast asparagus until just tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes total. About 3 minutes before asparagus are finished, remove from oven and sprinkle with the parmesan. Place back in the oven to finish. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, poach the eggs. Fill a large nonstick skillet with water about 1/2 inch from the top. Add vinegar and 1 t. salt. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Remove from heat, as soon as the bubbles die down carefully crack the eggs into the hot water. Let eggs cook for 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove and drain the eggs. 

3. On each serving plate, divide the asparagus and top each with a poached egg. 

Broiled Chicken Thighs and Asparagus with Lemon and Garlic

This recipe is dear to my heart. I can't take any credit for it though. It comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks called, The Quick Recipe. I discovered it almost a decade ago, I was still fairly new to married life & I was all about learning how to cook exceptional food. For me this was one of those milestone recipes that really made me feel like I could cook. Every time I make it now, I get that nostalgic feeling I got the first time I made it when it smelled so good in my kitchen it made me think "it smells like a restaurant in here!". It's really, really good.

Broiled Chicken Thighs and Asparagus with Lemon and Garlic

~serves 4~

Ingredients:

For the Garlic-Thyme oil:

4 cloves of garlic, minced with a garlic press or grated using a microplane grater

1 t. minced fresh thyme

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

For the Chicken:

8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat

2 lemons, 1 trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds, the other cut into wedges

2 lbs. asparagus, tough ends snapped off

nonstick spray

salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl mix together, garlic, thyme, olive oil, salt & pepper. Remove 1 1/2 T. of oil mixture into a separate bowl, set aside.

2. Adjust oven racks to lower-middle position (about 13 inches below heating element), and upper-middle position (about 5 inches from the heating element). Heat the broiler. Using a slotted broiler pan, lightly coat the top with nonstick spray.

3. Using a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal slashes through the skin of each chicken thigh. (This is done to help excess fat drain from the thighs and facilitate better browning.) Season with salt & pepper, place skin-side down on broiler pan rack. Place a lemon slice on top of each thigh.

4. Broil chicken on the bottom rack until just beginning to brown, 12-16 minutes. Using tongs flip the chicken skin-side up so it rests on the lemon slice. Continue to broil on the bottom rack until the skin is slightly crisp and meat registers 160 degrees in the thickest part, about 15 minutes. Brush chicken with the garlic-oil mixture, move to upper rack and broil until the chicken is crisp and dark brown in spots, 1-2 minutes. (Watch carefully that the chicken doesn't burn.) Transfer chicken and lemon slices to a serving platter.

5. Remove the broiler pan top, (careful, it's hot) pour off all but 1 t. chicken fat from the broiler pan bottom. Add asparagus. Broil, shaking the pan once or twice to turn the asparagus spears, until tender and lightly browned, 7-10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and while the asparagus is still in the pan, toss with the reserved 1 1/2 T. garlic oil mixture. Serve with the chicken, broiled lemon slices and lemon wedges.

Spinach and Asparagus Salad with Roasted Red Peppers, Smoked Paprika Croutons and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette (now that's a mouthful)

Yippee! Spring is coming, and that means asparagus is in season once again. Every winter I look forward to the tell-tale sign that spring is on the horizon when asparagus appears in abundance at every local supermarket. And I am all over it!

It wasn't always this way for me. I was convinced for years that I hated asparagus. Due to bad childhood memory association, the asparagus of my youth was overcooked, slimy, army-green, salty and always from a can (same thing with peas and spinach, ugh! However, as a kid I actually liked those). Asparagus straight-up scared me. I was led to believe that this was some sort of gourmet thing, of which I was convinced I wanted to have nothing to do with.

This fear of asparagus endured long and strong, even through my early adult life, where I spent 6 1/2 years as a vegetarian. I never touched the stuff. It wasn't until my mid-twenties, newly-married, my husband started to hint to me that we should give it a try (I think his kid/asparagus experience was not too different from mine). We bought some beautiful, fresh asparagus,cooked it up the right way and happily devoured it. Now I joke with my husband that asparagus is the vegetable of our love.

So now me and asparagus are perennial buddies. No longer a nightmare from my youth. I love it steamed, sauteed, fried, baked, broiled & grilled. Just keep that can away from me. What a sad fate for such a beautiful vegetable.

Spinach and Asparagus Salad with Roasted Red Peppers, Smoked Paprika Croutons and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette 

~serves 6~

*note:  putting the goat cheese in the freezer for 10-15 minutes prior to crumbling makes it much easier to crumble without sticking to your fingers so much.

Ingredients:

For the smoked paprika croutons:

2 c. 1/2 inch bread cubes

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced in a garlic press or grated on a microplane grater

3/4 t. smoked paprika

1/8 t. salt

For the kalamata vinaigrette: (makes about 2/3 c.)

2 T. finely minced kalamata olives

1 T. minced shallot

3/4 t. minced fresh thyme

1/2 t. smoked paprika

1 1/2 T. red wine vinegar

1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

For the salad:

1 lb asparagus, tough ends snapped off, cut into 2-inch lengths

2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, cut into 2-inch strips

6 oz. bag baby spinach

4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

kalamata vinaigrette

smoked paprika croutons

Directions:

1. For the croutons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, and salt in a medium bowl. Add bread cubes and toss until evenly coated. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool completely.

2. For the vinaigrette: Combine all the dressing ingredients (plus salt and pepper to taste). Set aside.

3. To prepare the asparagus: Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add 2 t. salt and asparagus. Cook for about 2 minutes, until asparagus is bright green and crisp-tender. Remove asparagus with a slotted spoon and plunge immediately in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain asparagus and pat dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. 

4. To put the salad together: Combine the asparagus and roasted peppers in a medium bowl. Toss in 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette. Toss the spinach with the remaining vinaigrette, add in the asparagus-roasted pepper mixture, the goat cheese and the croutons. Toss well to combine. Serve immediately.