Marcus Gavius Apicius (1st century AD, during the reign of Tiberius), likely author of the cookbook “De Re Coquinaria,” also known as “Apicius,” included asparagus in the collection of recipes.
Andrew Coletti writes: “The presence of pepper in the recipe hints at the intended audience of Apicius: enslaved or formerly-enslaved career chefs laboring in the kitchens of the wealthy. In Rome, pepper (known in three forms, black, white, and long) was a costly dried import from India. https://passtheflamingo.com/2017/05/10/ancient-recipe-asparagus-patina-roman-4th-century
4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound trimmed asparagus
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- ¼ teaspoon ground black or long pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried savory or sage
- ⅛ teaspoon celery seed or lovage
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil (plus more for the dish)
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 6 eggs
Directions
- Heat the oven to 400 °F.
- Spread the inside of a one-quart gratin dish, pie dish, or cast-iron skillet with oil.
- Puree all the ingredients except the eggs in a food processor or a mortar and pestle.
- Beat the six eggs and add them to the pureed vegetables. Mix well to combine, and pour the mixture
into the dish. - Bake until set (about 35-40 minutes, or until a fork or chopstick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve
with fresh cracked pepper.