Creamy asparagus spaghetti with fried quail eggs.

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Creamy asparagus spaghetti with fried quail eggs.

This fabulous creamy asparagus spaghetti recipe is based on a classic Italian dish known as asparagus alla Bismarck or asparagus alla Milanese. In this pasta version, the asparagus are both blanched and creamed with a few spears fried in butter. I used quail eggs, but normal eggs are perfect too.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Main Course, starter

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean, Northern Italy

Keyword: alla bismarck, asparagus pasta, fried eggs

Servings:

Calories: 513kcal

Author: Jacqui

Equipment

1 large pot to cook asparagus and spaghetti
1 small frying pan to cook eggs
1 sharp knife to cut asparagus and chop onion
1 chopping board
1 handheld immersion blender to purée sauce

Ingredients

1.1 pounds fresh green asparagus
11.5 ounces spaghetti
1 white onion peeled and finely chopped.
12 quail eggs or 4 normal eggs
1.5 ounces unsalted butter
2 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano or grana or Pecorino romano. Freshly grated.
salt to cook asparagus and spaghetti and to taste.
freshly ground black pepper. to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start by preparing the asparagus. Remove the woody ends of the asparagus and then wash them. Blanch the asparagus in a large pot of water that has been salted and brought to a boil until just tender and then rinse under very cold water. This will help keep their bright green color.
Keep the water to cook the spaghetti in. If the pot you used is too small for the spaghetti, transfer the water to a pasta cooking pot and add more water if necessary.
Bring the water back to a boil over a medium high heat and cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente according to the package instructions. Save a cup of the pasta water and drain the spaghetti. (keep it warm )
While the pasta cooks, put aside some of the blanched asparagus to be fried in butter. Then cut off the spears of the remaining blanched asparagus and put them in a small bowl along with a few stalks. Next, cut the remaining stalks into small pieces. Peel and finely chop the onion.
In a large non-stick skillet, sauté the onion and cut asparagus stalks over a low-medium heat in melted butter or a tablespoon of olive oil until both have softened. Use a wooden spoon to stir like in a stir-fry.
Add a little of the hot pasta water and cream the onion and asparagus in a food processor or transfer it to a deep bowl and cream with an immersion blender.
Return the creamed asparagus to the large skillet and add the saved asparagus tips and stalks to it. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper according to taste. Let the beautiful pureed asparagus sauce simmer on a low heat while you sauté the last remaining asparagus in butter until soft.
Add the cooked spaghetti to the creamed asparagus with some Parmigiano or vegetarian cheese. Toss everything together and simmer over a very low heat while you fry the eggs.
Finally fry the eggs in butter. For the best flavor and consistency, the eggs need to have runny yolks.
Place the spaghetti with creamy asparagus sauce on to serving plates. Then, place the fried eggs on top of the pasta along with the remaining sautéed asparagus. Serve immediately.

Notes

Cook’s tip: To break asparagus, hold one spear at a time with one hand near the tip and hold the end with the other hand. Bend the asparagus near the bottom end until it snaps off. The stalk will typically break at the exact point where the tender part meets the woody, fibrous part.

Cook’s tip: Instead of throwing away the woody ends of the asparagus keep them in the freezer to use in vegetable or beef broth.

Note for vegetarians.

This recipe calls for freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino romano. However, these cheeses aren't vegetarian friendly as they contain animal rennet. To keep this recipe 100% vegetarian, use a vegetarian parmesan cheese or a hard grating cheese made with vegetable rennet.

Nutrition