Asparagus tall and honorable, embodies the crisp and bright days of Spring. Asparagus is rich in fiber, folic acid, Vitamin K, chromium and amino acids. It is on the top of my list of my favorite spring veggies. In this dish the asparagus are tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and cooked on high heat. They then are served room temperature with a bed of crispy capers and diced hard boiled egg on top of them. The capers lend a salty crunch. I love this dish, it is at once sophisticated and simple. The whole dish is drizzled with a citrusy shallot vinaigrette to round out the flavors. Make sure to add the capers and eggs to the dish right before serving so they don’t get soggy from sitting around. It will still taste great if you let it sit but you will lose the crispy texture of the fried capers. Serve as always with beautiful edible flowers.

Serves 6-8/ Prep time 20 minutes/ cook time 40 minutes/ total time 60 minutes

Gather

For the asparagus

2 bunches/ 1000 grams green asparagus, washed and patted dry

Olive oil

Salt Pepper

2 eggs

1/3 cup/ 50 grams capers, rinsed and patted dry in a paper towel

Avocado oil for frying

Handle fresh herbs like mint, dill, tarragon, chives, roughly chopped

Edible flowers

For the shallot dressing

1 large shallot, minced

2 teaspoon / 11.8 grams Dijon mustard

Generous pinch salt

2 tablespoons / 29.57 ml lemon juice

2 teaspoons / 29.57 ml white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon / 5.69 grams honey

1/2 cup / 118.29 ml olive oil

Salt to taste

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Make 

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F/ 204 C. Snap off the bottoms of the asparagus, about 1/2 inch/ 1.27 cm. Place the asparagus on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Generously pour olive oil over the length of the tray but not too much, salt and pepper to taste. Massage the oil, salt and pepper with your hands into the asparagus. Place the tray in the oven on the middle rack and roast for 20 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Place the eggs into a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 13 minutes Remove the eggs and place them into a bowl with ice and water. Once cool peel the eggs and chop them finely. Set the egg aside in a small bowl.

Heat up 1/2 inch of avocado oil in a small pan. After a few minutes (4-5) the oil should be hot. Put a caper in and see if it sizzles. If it does, the oil is ready.

Put the capers into the pan. Let the capers cook 4-5 minutes until they are browned and crispy looking. Remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a pepper towel on a plate. Once cool, roughly chop them and then transfer them to a small bowl.

Make your dressing. 

Place the shallots, Dijon mustard and salt in a small bowl and stir. Then whisk in the lemon juice, honey and then the vinegar. Then whisk in the olive till emulsified, it will almost have a creamy consistency. Stir in the salt and pepper.

Place the asparagus in a single layer on a large serving platter. Mound the capers onto the length of the asparagus and then the egg. Garnish with herbs and flower petals. Drizzle the shallot vinaigrette all over the dish. If there is any left over, serve it along side and your guests can drizzle a little more onto their plates. Enjoy!

Recipe developed by Anna Getty

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