In his writings, Apicius tried to explain, in a rather succinct way, how to cook asparagus: “… immerse them in boiling water top-up”.
I have never managed to boil them in a convincing way: leaving the tip slightly crunchy and not letting the base soften too much.
The microwave cooking method also has the advantage of retaining all the flavor inside, without losing it in the cooking water.
When I lived in Finland, my friend Annarosa seasoned everything with a hard-boiled egg and butter sauce. I modified it with extra virgin olive oil, so even when I’m on a diet I can use it as an accompaniment to vegetables.
Microwave cooked asparagus with egg sauce
- Preparation time: 5 minutes
- Ingredients for 4 servings
- Difficulty: Easy recipe
- Ingredients
- 1 bunch of asparagus
- 4 tablespoons of water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For the sauce:
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Instructions
- In a saucepan full of water, prepare the egg. Cook the egg for 8 minutes, starting from boiling water. Drain it and pass it under very cold running water. Shell it.
- Wash the asparagus well. To remove the woody ends, grab the stalk of the asparagus at either end and bend until it snaps. It will naturally snap where it starts to get tough. Use a peeler to clean the underside of the vegetable.
- Place the asparagus in a row in a single layer on a baking tray with a microwave-safe lid. Season with salt and pepper. Add water to create steam. Cover with the lid.
- Cook at maximum power for about 3-4 minutes.Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. With a fork or immersion mixer, chop the egg together with the oil until a sauce is obtained.
Season with salt and pepper.
Tips to ensure the success of the dish:
- The asparagus must all be of the same thickness in order to cook at the same time.
- The cooking time is brief, as each microwave has a distinct maximum power (600W- 800W).
- The sauce can also be made with butter. It will be tastier but definitely not dietary.
