Pan Grilled Asparagus with Halloumi and Poached Egg

A 12 hour day at the office was not what I needed after the weekend that was. I'm going away for the wedding on Thursday, and with Monday being a stat holiday, this will be a two day week. Usually that would be an awesome thing, but this week nastily coincides with the end of the month. And not just any month, but it's a GST month. Ok, ok, enough of the boring accounting stuff. Lets just say that for us accountants this is a busy time.

What makes me feel better when I drag myself home at 8pm at times like these? Thinking about tasty food of times past. And so continues the blog catch up. 

This was a simple meal I made one night when Matt was at free-diving training (or as I like to call it, holding your breath practice). Super simple, uber tasty, and awesomely decadent. But it's got asparagus in it, so it's healthy, right?

Never mind the two types of cheese. Yes, I needed two.

This was inspired by an entree we used to make at Trade, back when I worked there - asparagus with poached egg and prosciutto. This is not the fresh and simple entree which inspired it. I wanted decadence and comfort food for one. This meant just one thing... halloumi.

The salty goodness of halloumi works so well with asparagus. And similarly to the old favourite of boiled egg with asparagus soldiers, the egg yolk bursts to be a deliciously molten sauce. Then I covered it all with a balsamic dressing. And parmesan. Because you ALWAYS need parmesan.

Always.

Pan Grilled Asparagus with Halloumi and Poached Egg (servings are per person)

Half a bunch of asparagus, the thinner the spears the better
Halloumi (honestly, I couldn't tell you how many grams to use, but I had two pieces about 3-4cm long, 2cm wide, and 1/2 cm thick)
One egg
Balsamic drizzle (if you want my recipe, let me know - I'm happy to share!)
Shaved parmesan to finish

Start, as always when poaching eggs, by bringing a big pot of water to the boil.

Prep the asparagus by gently snapping the bottom ends of the asparagus off. Just bend the bottom third or so. They will snap at the place where they are naturally woody and tough. That's all you need to do for them.

Heat a splash of oil in a pan until it's hot, but not smoking. Add the asparagus, and toss around in the hot oil for a minute or so. Then add your halloumi to a corner of the pan. Fry the halloumi, turning once, until it's golden on both sides. Turn the asparagus from time to time, so it doesn't burn too much. 

Meanwhile, make your parmesan shavings by taking a potato peeler to the sides.

When the halloumi and asparagus are almost done, turn off the heat on the pot of boiling water, slide your egg into the water, cover, and set your timer for two minutes. When there's one minute to go, pop your asparagus and halloumi on a plate. 

Check the egg, and when it's done (2 - 2 1/2 minutes), gently place on top of the asparagus stack.

Top with shaved parmesan, freshly cracked pepper, and balsamic drizzle.