Asparagus parmigiana style recipe - asparagi alla parmigiana

1. Wash the asparagus and cook them in bunches, upright in lightly salted boiling water sufficient to reach up to where the stalks shift from white to green, so the bases will be boiled while the tips are steamed.

2. When they are cooked (5-8 minutes, or until the tips begin to droop), cut away and discard the white parts, and arrange the spears in an oven-proof dish, dusting each layer with Parmigiano, butter or meat sauce, and crumbled hard-boiled egg.

3. Slip the pan into a medium oven (380 F, 190 C) to brown, or run it under a broiler for a few minutes.