Starter Light Bites Vegetarian Brunch Lunch

Asparagus with Jammy Egg & Pickle Dressing

The dressing on the asparagus is based on the classic French sauce called gribiche. It can accompany vegetables as it does here, and it’s also pretty terrific spooned over crispy-skinned fish or roasted salmon

20 minutes prep, 10 minutes cook

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 shallot

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon

1 to 2 tbsps sherry vinegar

8 cornichons

6 Castelvetrano olives or other green olives

Handful flat-leaf parsley 2 eggs

900g medium or large asparagus

1 tsp Dijon mustard

125ml extra virgin Olive oil

Method

Peel and mince the shallot; transfer to a medium bowl and season with salt. Juice the lemon into a small liquid measuring cup, then add enough vinegar to measure 80ml in total. Pour the lemon-vinegar mixture over shallot. Let sit while you prep the remaining ingredients.

Thinly slice the cornichons into rounds and place in a small bowl. Smash and pit the olives, then tear the flesh into small pieces; add to the bowl. Pluck the parsley leaves with some tender stem attached, then gather them up on your cutting board and thinly slice into ribbons (save the remaining parsley stems for making stock). Set cornichon-olive mixture and parsley aside separately.

Bring a medium pot of water to the boil over high heat; fill a medium bowl with ice and water. Lower eggs into boiling water and cook for 7 minutes for jammy yolks. Use a slotted spoon or mesh spider to transfer eggs to ice water and let cool; reserve both ice water and boiling water.

Snap off woody ends of the asparagus, then peel bottom two-thirds of stalks. Season boiling water very generously with salt. Add the asparagus and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Transfer to ice bath to cool, then pat dry with a clean tea towel and arrange on a platter.

Peel and quarter eggs. Arrange them on and around asparagus. Whisk mustard into shallot mixture, then slowly whisk in olive oil (it won’t completely emulsify, but the mixture should thicken). Stir in cornichon olive mixture and parsley. Taste dressing and adjust with salt and pepper; spoon over eggs and asparagus