Blanched Asparagus with Egg

You can buy hard-boiled eggs pretty readily in the grocery store. However, if you want to boil your egg yourself, put an egg in cold water to cover in a saucepan. Put over high heet and bring to boil. Once you have established a rolling boil, take the saucepan off the heat, cover it, and let sit 10 minutes. Take out egg carefully and put directly into ice water until chilled.

1 bunch asparagus
1 egg, hard-boiled
Rind of 1 lemon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

1. Put a large saucepan full of water over high heat. Bring to a boil.

2. In the meantime, prepare asparagus. Wash and trim. (You can either peel the ends or snap one to determine where the stem "wants" to break, and then cut them all at about that length.)

3. When water is boiling, add a few pinches of salt and throw in your asparagus. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Take asparagus out and put under very cold water under the sink, or into an ice water bath. (You're doing this to stop the cooking process and lock in the beautiful green color of the asparagus.)

4. Take asparagus out of the water and pat dry. Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil and plate. Sprinkle lemon rind over all.

5. Shell and chop the egg into a fine dice. Sprinkle over the asparagus. Season everything with salt and pepper to taste.

Printable version here.