Asparagus Alla Parmigiana
A Seasonal Supper for April that couldn't be simpler
Hi all and welcome to April’s Seasonal Supper! It is that time of year when everyone’s favourite sharp green thing, Asparagus, is literally everywhere and I couldn’t be happier about it. Strictly speaking the season in the UK begins on April 23rd (St. George’s Day) and runs until 21st June (Summer Solstice) but I have been able to good British stuff here and there and it’s tasting wonderful already.
I adore Asparagus and have been known to eat bunches and bunches of the stuff drenched in butter and not much else. It’s as brilliant as a main character as it is in an ensemble, it doesn’t over power or require much work, but it has enough to it that it stands alone wonderfully. I actually really adore it in pasta dishes and this one below that I wrote last year, Fettuccine with Asparagus, Mascarpone and Gremolata, is another super simple and glorious way to use it.
HOWEVER. Today we are not using pasta, we are exploring asparagus as a sort of glamorous main / exciting side dish using one of the oldest tricks in the book - a cheese sauce.
It seems (these are not hard and fast rules, more my interpretation) that in Italian cuisine there are 2 types of dishes that are referred to as “parmigiana” . The first being a noun like “Parmigiana di Melanzane” (aubergine parmigiana) or “Parmigiana di Patate” (potato parmigiana) refers to a baked, layered dish that will always contain a lot of parmesan (that’s what the Parmigiana bit means). The second version, like our dish today, is “alla parmigiana” meaning “with parmesan”. It can mean the same as above, but also can refer to a slightly different application, where instead of a layered dish, an ingredient is liberally coated in parmesan and then baked, which in our case is asparagus.
At its purest, “asparagi alla parmigiana” is asparagus dusted in parmesan and then sits in the oven until golden and glorious. Some versions in my research would add breadcrumbs, some would have egg, some would even have prosciutto and bechamel. It’s a kind of gratin, not like a Parmigiana where theres tonnes of layers and sauces and other cheeses, much simpler.
Our recipe today involves a parmesan-enriched bechamel, optional garlicky breadcrumbs and of course, lots of asparagus. It would be excellent eaten as a main, with toasted bread and even a poached egg, but is also lush as a side dish, perhaps with roast chicken or pork, or even a steak. It’s kind of like the British classic cheesy leeks, but a bit more elegant. It’s utterly delicious and a crowd pleaser, I know very few adults or children who won’t eat something when it is smothered in cheese sauce. It’s also handy because you can prep all the elements separately and bring them together just before you want to serve.
