Parmesan Polenta, Grilled Asparagus, and Eggs (over easy of course!)

Hey! 


  I've been back in snowy, cold, New York for almost two weeks - I actually don't mind the snow too much -- it is gorgeous, especially in Central Park!

Tonight for dinner I recreated a dish the boyfriend and I had for brunch on New Year's Day.  We ate at a local French cafe named Nice Matin - their menu reads like a foodie's delight.  However, their portion sizes were TINY for the price ($12/entree) and the food was just so-s0.  I mean come on -- we ordered Orange Buttermilk French Toast with Creme Fraiche and were given two puny slices --

The highlight of the meal was the polenta, asparagus and egg dish which was flavored with parmesan cheese.  

This is my version - I think it tasted better (and was hell of a lot cheaper!) , but I am partial to my own cooking :)

Roasted Asparagus and Eggs over Parmesan Polenta

1/2 cup polenta

2 cups water

1/2 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper

asparagus

olive oil

eggs

1)  Preheat your oven to 425 - place asparagus on a cookie sheet, spray with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally.  Make sure to cut enough of the "woody" end of the asparagus off.  When I am not in a hurry, I hold the asparagus in both hands and bend it until the woody end snaps off (this method is supposed to be more precise), however tonight I eyeballed it with my knife and paid the price with some chewy ends.  

2)  Boil water, add polenta, whisk for 3 minutes to prevent clumps.  I then turned the heat to low and simmered the polenta for about 10-15 minutes until it developed with texture I wanted.  I then stirred in the butter, parmesan, salt, and pepper.  

3)  Cook eggs to your liking (I like my yolks runny, so I cook them over easy).  

4)  Assemble - lay your asparagus and eggs on top of your polenta.  Sprinkle with more parmesan, salt, and pepper!

This meal was extremely easy to make and cheap!  I spent $5 for asparagus, and $.50 for the polenta in the bulk bin at Fairway.  The rest I had on hand and needed to use up since the eggs and parmesan were about to expire!  

I'll leave you with some photos of our NYC New Year's Eve since this meal brought back memories!

Love, Allison