Asparagus Polonaise
Chef Paul McComiskey has a passion for local and seasonal cuisine.
Center for Wine & Culinary Arts at Ocean House, Watch Hill, Rhode Island
This recipe is an adaptation of a dish made by the settlers who brought asparagus here from Europe. Try it with local eggs straight from the farm.
Ingredients
- .9 kg (2 pounds) fresh asparagus, trimmed
- Salt
- 237 ml (½ cup) clarified butter or ghee
- 237 ml (½ cup) unseasoned breadcrumbs or crushed croutons
- 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) rendered bacon pieces
- 3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
Preparation
1. Plunge asparagus into salted boiling water. Cook until stalks turn dark green, then remove and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process.
2. In a skillet, warm 118 ml (¼ cup) of the butter until shimmering. Add breadcrumbs and sauté until golden.
3. Add rendered bacon and stir 1 minute.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in egg, parsley, thyme, and salt to taste. Add more butter if needed.
5. When ready to serve, warm the asparagus in a pan with remaining butter. Transfer to a warm platter and spoon polonaise over asparagus.
Paul McComiskey
Chef Paul McComiskey grew up in a small farming community in Connecticut. His first position was running the kitchen at the Willimantic Brewing Company and Main Street Café. His passion for local and seasonal cuisine heightened when he joined the Altnaveigh Inn & Restaurant in Storrs, Connecticut as Chef de Cuisine. Later, he joined Weekapaug Inn as a sous chef, and in 2015 he joined Ocean House, in Rhode Island, in a new role as Food Forager.
Courtesy photo
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