Asparagus in Tatare Sauce (Piedmont)

Appetizers

Ingredients:

Asparagus- 2 pounds

Salt

Tartare Sauce:

Hard boiled egg yolks- 4

Raw egg yolk- 1

Olive oil- 1 1/4 cups

French mustard- 1 tsp

Chopped capers- 1 tsp

Finely chopped pickled onions- 1 tsp

Finely chopped gherkins- 1 tsp

Parsley, finely chopped- 2 to 3 sprigs

Salt + Pepper

Clean and scrape the asparagus stalks if necessary, tie them in bundles and stand them upright in a tall, narrow pan. Pour in salted water up to the tips, cover with a lid which has a hole to let out steam (or leave the lid slightly off the pan), bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes. In this way, the stalks will boil while the tender tips simply cook in steam. Take the bundles from the pan and carefully to avoid breaking the tips.

Tatare Sauce:

Mash the hard boiled yolks with a wooden spoon. Add the raw egg yolk and the olive oil very gradually, beating between each addition as you would a mayonnaise. Finally, stir in the mustard, pickles and parsley, and season to taste the salt and pepper.

Serve the sauce with the asparagus.

Serves 6.