A new week has just started and I am back with another recipe for the blog. The king in this occasion will be the cheese, specifically a type of Italian cheese called fontina, which is produced in the north of the country, in an area called Val d’Aosta.
Thomas travels for work to the north of Italy at least twice a year. As you could imagine, I miss him during the time he is out of town, but I also look forward to his arrival for the special requests I ask him. These requests include two of my favourite culinary Italian magazines which I am addicted to since I lived in Italy and obviously the cheeses. The Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano cannot be missed in his suitcase as well as other two or three more I ask him from several regions in Italy.
But do not panic! It is not necessary you travel to Italy to prepare this recipe! You can find it easily at any delicatessen. Another option is to buy the fontina on this official website.
INGREDIENTS
350 gr wild green asparagus (32-36 asparagus)
200 gr whole milk (1 cup)
150 gr fontina cheese (⅔ cup)
30 gr bread crumbs (⅓ cup)
6 eggs at room temperature
15 gr crushed pumpkin seeds (¼ cup)
1 egg yolk
1 tsp turmeric extract
Flour to bread
Sunflower oil
Salt
PREPARATION
Bring a pot with non-salty water to the boil and cook four of the six eggs during exactly five minutes. Use a timer to avoid over boiling them as we want to get a well-cooked egg white and a slightly liquid yolk. Then, remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and placed them over a cloth in order to cool. Now, boil the asparagus during 3 minutes in salty water. When they are ready, remove them and set aside.
It is the turn of the fontina, the star of this recipe! Cut it into cubes. Take a small pot and pour the milk and add the cheese. Mix continuously until melted. Remove from the heat. Add a teaspoon of flour and the yolk, and beat with a manual whisk until obtaining a slight yellow cream. Set aside.
Hereafter, beat the remaining eggs in a medium bowl with a pinch of salt and now carefully, take the already boiled eggs and batter them first in the flour, then in the beaten eggs and finally in the mix of the breadcrumbs and pumpkin seeds. Deep-fry them in a small pan, one at a time, and then dry on kitchen paper.
Now, spread out the fontina mix in individual bowls, place the asparagus over and place one egg at each plate.
Buon appetito!
TIPS
In order to minimise the risk of breaking the eggs, these should be as fresher as possible and at a room temperature. Just in case, you can boil a few more.
Photo & Stylism: Carlota Fariña
Instagram: #carlotafariñafoodgram
This recipe was taken and adapted from «La Cucina Italiana» magazine from June 2017
