Green asparagus with pancetta and scrambled eggs Istrian Recipe
This extraordinarily simple and humble dish is really easy to make and truly sublime. It consists of cooking down the asparagus with some crunchy pancetta and then adding whisked eggs and cooking them to a creamy and smooth consistency, and when served with some fresh crunchy bread, this dish becomes a perfect choice for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.
Green asparagus with pancetta and scrambled eggs (Umešana jajca s šparglji) or Green asparagus frittata with pancetta, know locally as Fritaja s špargljo, Fritata s šparglji or Fritaia coi sparesi, are probably the two of the most representative dishes and part of a unique gastronomic offers of Slovenian Istra, so much so, that a Festival called Šparga Fest is dedicated to these two dishes, traditionally using exclusively wild asparagus (divji šparglji).
Wild asparagus, like store bought ones, have a fairly short season, but are more aromatic and they are ready to be picked around Easter period and one can commonly find them growing on the south facing pieces of land close to dry stone walls, on the edges of the forests, among the bushes, and although they are free in Slovenia to be foraged and enjoyed, there is a legal limit of how much wild asparagus someone can pick for personal use and consumption.
This is not quite the case in the United kingdom, where I currently live, as I found out, according to Janet Lister (Wildlife and Countryside Advisor for the National Trust). Wild asparagus, once a plentiful plant, is now a very rare coastal plant that only grows and can only be found in a handful of counties (Glamorgan, Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Dorset). In fact, it is in decline and classed as an “endangered” species on the GB Red List.
In the olden days, along the coats in Slovenia, these green delicacies were only known to the locals who used to invent and create dishes that were born out of necessity, with the ingredients available only during a particular season. This, once again, is a testimony and a reminder of the great resourcefulness of local people, who proved time and time again the ability to find clever ways to overcome hunger.
Nowadays, this type of asparagus has reached such a popularity that the inhabitants from inland Slovenia make a special day trip to the coast to enjoy this truly seasonal speciality.
Green asparagus with pancetta and scrambled eggs is a very much loved dish in many households, and so it is made very often. However, since it can only be made during asparagus season, it is also during this time that it is found in many informal family run restaurants.
I am sharing here the family recipe I grew up with, made with wild asparagus, which was picked by the family during many enjoyable and very memorable walks in nature. In this recipe I have replaced wild asparagus for the cultivated alternative, and you can also transform this recipe into a vegetarian and vegan friendly variation by using and frying the onions instead of pancetta, bacon or lardons. For this recipe you can also use fresh white asparagus.
Ingredients
Serves 4
about 500g fresh green asparagus
180g roughly, pancetta, bacon or lardons, finely sliced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 fresh eggs
sea salt
black pepper
Method
Wash the asparagus under cold running water and chop each asparagus into smaller sections.
Put extra virgin olive oil in a fairly large frying pan, add finely sliced pancetta, bacon or lardons and fry until fully cooked and slightly crispy.
Add chopped asparagus and cook for a few minutes together with pancetta, until they soften a bit and deepen in colour.
Add small amounts of water, about 50ml at a time, this will help to cook down the asparagus.
Cook the asparagus until they are fully cooked, deepen in colour, and tender but not overcooked and falling apart.
Cook the asparagus until they are fully cooked and tender but not overcooked and falling apart.
Crack the eggs into a bowl, add sea salt, black pepper and whisk.
Take the pan off the heat and pour the eggs over the asparagus mixture.
Put the pan back on the heat, stir and cook the eggs to the desired consistency stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, lifting and folding the egg and asparagus mixture from the bottom of the pan.
Cook the eggs until they are softly set and slightly runny in places or cook further until they reach the desired consistency.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.
Sprinkle with roughly chopped fresh parsley, if desired, and serve hot immediately with fresh crunchy bread.
Just a thought
This dish is not suitable for freezing.
Cooked asparagus and pancetta mixture, without adding the eggs, makes a fantastic base for risotto.
You can also turn cooked asparagus and pancetta base into a scrumptious sauce for a pasta dish by simply adding a bit of single cream to it and dilute it, if it gets too thick, with a bit of water where you cooked the pasta.