A Springtime Recipe: Asparagus with Herb Sauce

A Springtime Recipe: Asparagus with Herb Sauce

Inspired by a typical recipe from Frankfurt, Germany, grüne sosse (green sauce) is traditionally made with seven herbs. It is served as I suggest here, with hard-boiled eggs and potatoes. Its colour, freshness and lightness make it an ideal spring meal! My simplified version uses four herbs and ingredients you'll find at your local market. Add some asparagus and you've got a delicious combination of flavours, eggs and herbs. Have fun varying the herbs throughout the season, depending on what you have on hand.

Ingredients

  • 10 eggs
  • 8 to 12 small potatoes, peeled (2 to 3 per person, depending on size)
  • 500 ml (2 cups) watercress, coarsely chopped
  • 250 ml (1 cup) flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 250 ml (1 cup) sorrel, coarsely chopped
  • 250 ml (1 cup) chives, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
  • 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) plain yoghurt
  • 30 ml (2 tablespoons) cider vinegar
  • 20 ml (4 teaspoons) hot mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 30 ml (2 tablespoons) sunflower oil
  • One large bunch of Quebec asparagus

Preparation

  1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to the boil. Plunge the eggs and potatoes into the boiling water. After 11 to 12 minutes, remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Add salt to the boiling water and continue cooking the potatoes for a further 5-10 minutes, until they are cooked but not mushy.
  2. Meanwhile, wash, dry and coarsely chop the herbs. Measure the quantities to be included by pressing them gently into the measuring cups.
  3. Place the herbs in the bowl of a food processor, then add the shallot pieces, yoghurt, cider vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.
  4. Peel the eggs. Cut two eggs into halves and add their yolks to the herb mixture.
  5. Blend the sauce, pulsing and scraping down the sides with a spatula, until creamy. Set aside in a large bowl.
  6. Finely chop the whites of the two eggs whose yolks have been added to the sauce. Add the chopped egg white to the herb sauce and mix. Taste to adjust the seasoning. Set aside in the fridge.
  7. Heat 15 ml (1 tbsp.) sunflower oil in a frying pan over medium heat and brown the potatoes until lightly coloured. Set aside.
  8. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and sauté the asparagus for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden but still firm.
  9. Divide the green sauce between four soup plates (or pasta bowls).
  10. Add the browned potato pieces on one side, four hard-boiled egg halves on the other, and a quarter of the sautéed asparagus in the centre.
Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
30 minutes
Servings
4 portions
Category
Breakfasts and brunch
Main dishes
Recipe by
Julie Aubé

If there aren't four of you, cook fewer potatoes and eggs, but still prepare the full sauce recipe. It can be kept for a few days and is delicious as a dip for raw vegetables, as a side dish for grilled meats, as a spread on a sandwich, and so on. In short, there's no shortage of ways to enjoy it!