Bottega - Michael Chiarello [20]
Cauliflower Fritto
Green Eggs and Ham
SERVES 6
I’m a big Dr. Seuss fan, and I must have read Green Eggs and Ham hundreds of times when my daughters were young and now again with my son. I find myself saying those much-loved words, “Would he? Could he?” at our dinner table, and Aiden can’t stop chuckling. This dish is my “get over yourself” reminder; it’s just food, after all. Tomorrow you’ll cook and eat again, so let yourself have some fun with it.
I’ve always gone for the California hint-of-crunch asparagus; this is an old-school cooking method of cooking each stalk completely through so it has a little give when you pick it up and shake it, like a medium-stiff diving board. To snap off an asparagus end, before poaching hold the spear in both hands and bend it until it breaks. It will snap off at the point where the spear becomes tough.
You can poach the asparagus the day before and reheat in the poaching liquid, but I think the texture is better if you poach the spears just before serving.
Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc or Ribolla Gialla
PROSCIUTTO BITS
1½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ pound prosciutto, finely diced (1 generous cup)
CAMBOZOLA SAUCE
8 ounces Cambozola cheese
2/3 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon finely minced fresh thyme
1 pound asparagus (about 2 bunches)
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup water
½ teaspoon sea salt (preferably gray salt)
CRISPY EGGS
6 large eggs
Peanut, corn, or canola oil for deep-frying
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
FOR THE PROSCIUTTO BITS: In a small nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the diced prosciutto and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir and toss occasionally, and cook until the prosciutto is very crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the prosciutto to paper towels to drain. (Reserve the fat in the pan for another use.) Prosciutto bits may be made up to 1 week in advance and kept in an airtight jar in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, heat briefly in a 300°F oven before using.
FOR THE CAMBOZOLA SAUCE: Cut off the cheese rind and cut the cheese into small chunks. Add it to a saucepan with the cream. Whisk the mixture over medium heat until there are no lumps. If you like, strain the mixture to remove the “veins,” and pour it back into the pan. Add the thyme and simmer another 2 minutes, whisking continually. Take it off the heat and cover to keep warm.
After snapping the end off each stalk, line up the asparagus and trim so they’re all the same length. In a large sauté pan, combine the olive oil, water, and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium-high and then poach the asparagus, working in batches and using a spatter screen: Cook the asparagus in a single layer, simmering just until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Don’t overcook, because it will continue cooking when it’s off the heat. Transfer the asparagus to a sheet pan to cool. When you’ve poached all the asparagus, reserve the poaching liquid, keeping it warm in a small pan on the stove.
FOR THE EGGS: Prepare an ice bath large enough to hold all 6 eggs. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Put the eggs in a pasta basket or a sieve and lower it into the water. When the water just barely returns to a boil, set the timer for 41/2 minutes (5 minutes if using larger brown eggs). When the time is up, transfer the basket to the ice bath and let the eggs chill for least 20 minutes. Carefully peel the eggs, starting at the larger, rounded end of the shell.
In a large, heavy pot, heat 3 inches of oil to 375°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Pour the flour, buttermilk, and panko into separate bowls. Dip each egg first in the flour, then in the buttermilk, and finally in the panko. Be sure to coat well with the panko. Using a wire skimmer, add 3 eggs at a time to the hot oil and deep fry until golden brown, just 60 to 90 seconds. Using the skimmer, transfer the eggs to paper towels to drain.
Divide the asparagus evenly