Boiled Eggs with Pancetta-Baked Asparagus and Almond Pangrattato

by Ed Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 12 spears asparagus
  • 12 thin slices flat pancetta
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 slices day-old sourdough bread, crusts removed
  • ½ cup blanched almonds
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Finely-grated zest of 1 orange
  • ½ bunch parsley, finely-chopped
  • Pinch chilli flakes
  • Salt flakes and freshly-milled black pepper
  • 8 eggs

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Trim the woody ends of the asparagus, then wrap each stalk with a slice of pancetta. Arrange on an oven tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the pancetta is just becoming crisp.
2 Combine the bread and almonds in a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Transfer to a frying pan with the remaining olive oil and set over a moderate heat. Cook for 4 minutes, until pale golden. Add the garlic and zest, then cook for 2 more minutes, until crunchy. Set aside to cool, then mix in the parsley and chilli. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water and set over a high heat. When the water comes to a boil, cook for 3 minutes, then remove from the water. Serve the eggs with asparagus and a scattering of pangrattato.