Prosciutto Entwined Asparagus Recipe

Prosciutto Entwined Asparagus Recipe

Buongirono miei amata amici!

In April, Stockton, California holds their annual Asparagus Festival, "Best of the West Food Fest!"  While asparagus is a significant crop in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region, it also reigns as a favorite vegetable in many regions of our planet, dating back to 3000 BC are  pictures of it from an Egyptian frieze.

Spring is around the corner bringing the asparagus season with it. I thought I might whet your appetite. The following recipe can be implemented as is, or several flavor variations and even some ideas at the end on substitutes that work on a budget. This is a lovely dish for appetizers or entertaining. It looks simply elegant.

Prosciutto Entwined Asparagus Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of Prosciutto, sliced
• 8 ounces of Mascarpone, softened
• 18 spears of Asparagus
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to drizzle or spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

First, blanch the asparagus spears for one minute and then immediately dip in an icy cold water bath. Drain. This gives a BEAUTIFUL green color to your spears.

Preparing Prosciutto Entwined Asparagus

Next, take a slice of prosciutto and spread with mascarpone cheese. Place a bundle of 3 spears on the prosciutto and starting towards the bottom or the asparagus, spiral the prosciutto up the bundles. Arrange bundles on baking sheet in a single layer.

Prosciutto Entwined Asparagus
hot out of the oven.

Spray or drizzle bundles with olive oil. Put in top third of the oven and bake for 10-20 minutes until the Asparagus is fork tender and the prosciutto is golden. You do not want to over bake or you will have mushy asparagus.

Variations:

*Flavor your mascapone with garlic, onion, or chives. Salt and pepper the asparagus before rolling.

*Budget variations: Use black forest ham or thin sliced bacon (partially cooked) instead of prosciutto. Use cream cheese instead of mascarpone.