Gluten-Free Fresh Asparagus Patties

Celiac.com 06/10/2020 - Asparagus is in season at the moment, so now is a perfect time to try out this delightful asparagus recipe. These patties are a blend of fresh asparagus, eggs, gluten-free bread crumbs, and some seasoning. They are simple to prepare, easy to cook, and they make great appetizers, or even a nice side dish for a summer salad. The original recipe comes to us from Chef John, over at the Food Wishes blog.

You'll need some good gluten-free bread crumbs for this recipe to work best, so save some of your stale favorite gluten-free bread, or use one of the commercially available brands. 

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You can find the printed version of Chef John's original, non-gluten-free recipe over at Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese
• ⅓ cup plain dried gluten-free bread crumbs, or panko
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat a pot of well-salted water to a boil.

Trim woody bottom parts from the asparagus stalks. Cut asparagus in half, as necessary, to fit your pot.

Place asparagus in the boiling water. 

Boil about 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly tender. 

Use a slotted spoon to transfer asparagus to a bowl of very cold water. Let asparagus cool completely.

Grate Pecorino Romano cheese finely using a rasp grater.

Drain asparagus well and slice into very small pieces. 

Place in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. 

Add cayenne pepper, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and gluten-free bread crumbs. 

Mix in 1 egg to start. Add the second egg and continue mixing until well combined.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. 

Scoop some of the asparagus mixture into the hot oil; flatten with a fork. 

Cook until bottom is browned, about 4 minutes. 

Flip over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more.

Chef John's written instructions invites you to "Garnish with lemon aioli...simply mayonnaise spiked with raw garlic, lemon juice, and a pinch of cayenne...and fresh lemon zest."