Even since I made this for lunch many weeks ago, I have been trying to do something a little more special for lunch on Sundays. It used to be that Sunday was my big day to cook a grand meal. But then the Big Green Egg came along, and we have renamed Sunday “Egg Day.” Don’t get me wrong, I look forward to “Egg Day” each week, but it has finally caught up to me that I miss my cooking day. Baking stuff for the kid’s lunches is great, and making breakfast treats is awesome, but I miss making that one big meal that you can sit down and really be proud of.
I am not sure how it happened, but all of a sudden I started focusing on Sunday lunches. It used to be that every Sunday I would just eat leftovers, or make myself an egg sandwich. Usually I exercise in the morning, so by lunch I am craving some protein – and an egg sandwich hits the spot. So instead of egg sandwiches, I started thinking about other egg dishes that would hit the spot. I found this recipe a while ago in Cooking Light, and have been waiting until asparagus season to try it out. I was actually waiting to make this for dinner one night – but wouldn’t it be an even better lunch? Of course!
As I was preparing my dish, my younger daughter looked over at what I was doing with intrigue. I asked her what she wanted to for lunch, and she quickly said, “whatever you are making!” I loved it. She was so excited to have her own beautiful Sunday lunch. We felt like we were eating at a restaurant. We both gobbled this down so quickly, I could have eaten two portions. Scraping up that yolk with the asparagus, and then taking a bite of toast was just plain gleeful. I can hardly wait for next Sunday…not just for dinner, but for lunch too.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears, trimmed
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice, divided
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 teaspoons white wine vinegar, divided
- 1 tablespoon capers, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
- 1 1/2 ounces kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 12 (1/2-ounce) slices whole-wheat baguette
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
Preheat broiler to high.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; keep warm.
Combine rind, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 2 tablespoons oil, and 2 teaspoons vinegar in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Place remaining 1 tablespoon orange juice, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, capers, fennel seeds, olives, and garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped.
Place baguette slices on a baking sheet. Broil 2 minutes or until golden, turning after 1 minute.
Add water to a large skillet, filling two-thirds full; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer. Stir in remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar. Break each egg into a custard cup. Gently pour eggs into pan; cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Carefully remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon.
Spread tapenade evenly onto toasts; place 2 toasts on each of 6 plates. Drizzle asparagus with dressing, tossing gently to coat. Divide asparagus evenly among plates. Top asparagus with 1 poached egg; sprinkle eggs evenly with pepper and salt. Serve immediately.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Asparagus Salad with Poached Eggs and Tapenade Toasts
First Look, Then Cook 