A spring ritual from our family kitchens
There are dishes that don’t just welcome spring, they announce it. In the Veneto, asparagus and eggs – ovi e sparasi – is one of them. A plate that looks almost too simple to be special, and yet carries the whole feeling of the season: tender flavours, brighter colours, and the joy of the first warm days.
In Agnes’ family, this dish wasn’t just a recipe; it was a ritual. Her mum would come home from the market with armfuls of white asparagus, far more than seemed reasonable, and that was the sign: white asparagus season had begun, and spring had officially arrived.
The preparation was always the same. The asparagus were boiled until tender, in the same old red asparagus pot her mum has had for as long as Agnes can remember – an enamel pot older than she is, chipped at the edges, still going strong. The eggs were boiled too, sometimes a little too hard, forgotten on the stove between one chore and the next. And everything was served on one big plate, ready to be dipped into a simple vinaigrette of olive oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar.
No fuss, no ceremony. Just the pure pleasure of asparagus dipped into something sharp and bright, with egg yolk mashed and running into everything else. It was a starter if you were being formal, a main if you were hungry. In their house, it was usually the latter.
Our version: familiar, but with a small twist
When we started making this dish together, we kept the spirit of Agnes’ family version – the tenderness, the simplicity, the feeling of spring on a plate. But we also made space for our own tastes.
Fabio doesn’t love vinegar (Agnes does, passionately), so he always made himself a lemon‑and‑mustard vinaigrette instead. It brings the same brightness and acidity, but with a softer, rounder edge. Over time, this became our shared version.
And then came the parsley. Venetians have a long love affair with parsley – it appears everywhere, in handfuls rather than sprinkles. Inspired by dishes we’ve eaten in Venice, by the abundance of parsley in Agnes’ parents’ garden, and by Fabio’s mum lover-of-parsley cooking, we turned it into a light parsley oil: vibrant, green, and full of spring.
It’s not the traditional condiment, but it still feels right. A small, modern nod to the city and the restaurants we love, without disturbing the simplicity of the dish.
If you prefer the classic version – extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, vinegar – please make it that way. That’s the beauty of Venetian cooking: it leaves room for instinct, for memory, for the way your family did it or likes to do it.
But if you’d like to try our version, we think it’s a lovely way to taste what Venetian food is really about: simplicity, balance, and letting the ingredients shine, with just a touch of inspiration and colour.
Spring on a plate. Nothing more, nothing less.
A note on ingredients: white asparagus from Bassano (and why they matter)
Traditionally, in the Veneto this dish is made with white asparagus from Bassano del Grappa, a variety so delicate and prized that it has its own PDO status. They’re grown under earth to keep them pale, and their flavour is gentle, sweet, almost creamy, with none of the bitterness you sometimes find in green asparagus. They’re thick, tender, and wonderfully filling, perfect for a dish that relies on very little else.
But they’re also famously hard to find. Even in the Veneto, you often need to be in the right town, at the right market, in the right week of spring. Outside Italy, they become a treasure hunt. We’ve spotted them in a few London food halls, or imported from France, beautiful but often so expensive that the cost of the dish would defeat its whole purpose.
Because this dish is not meant to be luxurious. It’s meant to be seasonal, simple, and generous, a celebration of spring, not a splurge.
So, for this recipe, we use green asparagus, which are easy to find and still delicious. But if you ever come across white asparagus, grab them. They’ll make the dish even more special.
Asparagus and boiled eggs with parsley vinaigrette
Serves 2 as a main, or 4 as a starter
- 2 bunches of thick green asparagus
- 6 medium or large organic eggs
- a handful of coarse sea salt
- 10 ice cubes
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Cress or microgreens to decorate (optional)
Parsley oil vinaigrette
- 50g flat leaf parsley, leaves only (thicker stalks removed)
- 10 ice cubes
- 120g sunflower or corn oil
- ½ Tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tsp lemon juice
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Directions
1. Blanch the parsley
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice‑cold water and keep it beside the stove.
Blanch the parsley for 30 seconds in the boiling water, then immediately transfer it to the ice water to stop the cooking and lock in the colour. Once cold, dry thoroughly in a salad spinner or with a clean tea towel.
2. Make the parsley oil
Blend the blanched parsley with the oil for about 1 minute, until the mixture is vividly green and smooth.
Strain through muslin set over a sieve, letting it drip without pressing or stirring too much so the oil stays clear. Set aside.
3. Prepare the asparagus
Hold each spear with both hands and bend gently until it snaps naturally; this is where the woody part ends. Save the trimmings for stock if you like.
Lightly peel the thicker spears with a potato peeler, avoiding the tips, to remove the fibrous outer layer.
4. Cook the asparagus
Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the asparagus and simmer for 3 minutes.
Transfer immediately to a fresh bowl of ice‑cold water to stop the cooking. Once cool, drain and pat dry. They should be a brilliant, spring green.
5. Boil the eggs
Using the same pot of water (or a fresh one), lower the eggs in gently with a spoon. Boil for 6½ minutes for a soft, custardy centre. If using large eggs, add 45 seconds to the cooking time.
Cool the eggs in cold water until they are easy to handle, then peel carefully.
6. Make the vinaigrette
In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of the parsley oil, the mustard, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, and a grind of black pepper. Taste and adjust.
7. Assemble the dish
Arrange the asparagus on a plate. Cut the eggs into irregular wedges and nestle them among the spears.
Spoon over a tablespoon of the vinaigrette and finish with cress or microgreens if you like.
Add a little extra parsley oil for shine and fragrance. Any leftover oil keeps for a week in the fridge in a sealed jar.
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