Author Archives: cookingwithcandi

Oh, so many things to do with asparagus. This recipe is a combination of asparagus, almonds, and eggs.  A different kind of salad served as a meal for lunch or a side salad with dinner. I like to cook the eggs ahead of time. I usually do them in the morning or the day before and leave them in the fridge until I need them. Yogurt dressing adds a bit of a new flavor. I tried the Za’atar in place of smoked paprika. If you still don’t have the Za’atar, you can use smoked paprika or if you like a little kick, use hot paprika. I used Marcona almonds because I love them. The thing that’s really special about this recipe is the way the asparagus is prepared. It’s pan – roasted and you get that same effect you would from a grill but no need to grill or run your oven till the smoke detectors go off.  The original inspiration for this recipe comes from one of my favorite sites, Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs (hard boiled and chopped)

1/3 cup Marcona almonds chopped ( use food processor)

1 pound asparagus spears , I snap off the ends and I use thinner rather than thicker stalks

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon (2 tablespoons plus more for a squeeze on asparagus)

olive oil

1 cup Greek style yogurt (I used non-fat)

1 teaspoon Za’atar spice (or smoked or hot paprika)

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon table salt

Asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound Asparagus, snap off the ends

Kosher Salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper

Retain a little lemon juice for serving

Directions:

Hard boil your eggs using your favorite method. I like to put eggs into a cold pot of water with some salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, I simmer the eggs for at least  fifteen minutes. Then I remove and usually cool down and keep in fridge with shell on ’til I need them. You can plunge into ice water to quick cool. If you leave them overnight in fridge they will be easier to peel, the older the hard boil the easier to peel cleanly.

Chop almonds in your mini chopper or food processor. Set aside.

Make yogurt dressing, whisking all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste for Salt and Pepper.

Now for the best asparagus roasting technique on the stovetop. Take a 12 inch skillet, and heat over medium high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and once the oil is fully heated, add your trimmed asparagus spears – placing as many as you can flatly in pan, they may not all fit, and I did it in 2 batches. Cover the skillet with a lid and I let them cook for about 3 – 5 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat to high, throw a little salt and pepper on the asparagus, and using tongs cook the spears till they’re crisp-tender and well browned along a side or two, I did this for another 5 minutes or so. Make sure your vents are on, my smoke detectors always go off.

Put a little of the dressing on the serving dish you’re going to use and spread thinly, place asparagus on top of dressing, squeeze a little lemon juice over the spears, the chopped almonds, eggs and a little salt and pepper. Put a dollop of the dressing on top, and the rest of the dressing I put in a small ramekin for the table in the event anyone wanted a little extra.

Enjoy!