Asparagus Italian style

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 kg asparagus, white
• salt water
• 1 bunch arugula
• 1 ciabatta, plain (fresh from the Italian restaurant, please do not use it for baking!)
• 80 g tomatoes, dried, preserved in oil
• 150 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• 5 sprig(s) basil, cut into strips
• 150 g cooked ham, cut into cubes
• 2 eggs
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper from the mill
• 1 tsp Chinese spice mix
• 1 tsp sweet paprika powder

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Peel the asparagus, trim off the woody ends, and cook in a pan of lightly salted water until soft. Hard-boil the eggs, rinse, peel, and chop (I always cook them in the asparagus pan with the asparagus). Meanwhile, dice the ciabatta (6 pieces per slice). Fry in a pan with 4-6 tablespoons of olive oil until crispy, lightly salt, and remove from the pan. Chop the tomatoes and fry in the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with the seasoning mix and paprika, and deglaze with 1-2 ladles of asparagus water. Divide the asparagus between two plates, lightly salt, and pour over the tomato sauce. Layer the chopped egg, basil strips, and ham cubes on top. Arrange the still-warm ciabatta cubes on top, arrange the washed arugula on top, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Season with the pepper mill.