Asparagus with burnt butter
Prep 20 mins
Cook 10 mins
Serves 6
Difficulty 3
“This dish is stunning for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a midnight supper,” says Carlo Grossi. “The burnt butter sauce is just decadent enough to make you happy you’re eating vegetables. Have plenty of iced water ready to cool down both the eggs and asparagus later.”
36 fat asparagus spears
2 tbsp olive oil
40g unsalted butter
6 fior di burrata
BURNT BUTTER SAUCE
400g unsalted butter
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1. To make the burnt butter sauce, place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook slowly, whisking every so often, for about 15 minutes or until it has browned slightly and developed a nutty flavour. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Whisk in the vinegar and salt.
2. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Gently place the eggs in the water, being careful not to break them, and cook for 4 minutes (you want them to be soft-boiled). Remove and refresh in iced water. Peel the eggs gently without breaking them. Blend the eggs with a stick blender in a jug until smooth. Gradually add the burnt butter mixture with the stick blender running until the sauce becomes thick and creamy.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Trim 2–3 cm of the asparagus ends off if woody, then add the asparagus to the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Drain and place into iced water to refresh. Drain and set aside.
4. Working in batches if necessary, heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the asparagus and cook gently for about 2 minutes or until slightly caramelised. Remove from the heat.
5. To serve, spoon some butter sauce onto a serving dish and place the asparagus on top. Gently tear the burrata with your hands and put on top of the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
This is an edited extract from Ombra: Recipes from the Salumi Bar by Carlo Grossi, published by Lantern, RRP $39.99, on Tuesday 30 March 2021.
