Asparagus in Yellow Sauce, or Asparagi in Salsa Gialla: This simple yellow sauce owes its color to an egg yolk. Prosaic as this may be, it doesn't detract in the slightest from the sauce. The recipe is Tuscan, and classic old-style Italian, in other words explained but not quantified:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- Asparagus in number proportionate to your diners
- Hard Boiled Eggs in number proportionate to your diners
- Parsley or, if you'd rather, fresh thyme
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil
Preparation:
You'll want perfect asparagus in number proportionate to your diners, and one or more hard-boiled eggs. Wash the asparagus, tie them up in bunches, and boil them upright in about three inches of lightly salted water until the tips droop (overcooked asparagus might as well be tossed, and that's a sin considering how much it costs...). Arrange the cooked asparagus on a (possibly) round serving dish, with the tips pointing in.While the asparagus is cooking set about preparing the sauce and the garnish: Melt some unsalted butter in a pan and mash the yolk(s) into it. While it heats (gently), mince the egg whites with parsley or, if you'd rather, fresh thyme. Turn your attention balk to the butter mixture, and season it with a little lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and enough good extravirgin olive oil to produce a pleasingly creamy sauce. Remove the pan from the flames. Garnish the tips of the asparagus with the minced egg white and herbs, pour the sauce over them, and serve.
